The weekly review by Galt & Taggart showed that Georgia’s tourism sector remained largely stable in the first quarter of 2026, despite geopolitical tensions affecting travel patterns.
Total international arrivals, including both tourism and same-day visits, reached approximately 1.2 million, a marginal year-on-year decline of 0.2%. The slight decrease was primarily driven by a sharp 19% drop in same-day visits. In contrast, tourist arrivals grew by 4% compared to the same period last year and accounted for 85.2% of total visits.
The report attributes the overall slowdown partly to escalating tensions in the Middle East which had a noticeable impact on travel flows, particularly in March.
Visitor numbers declined significantly from several countries, including Israel (down 17.5%), Iran (down 48.8%), Armenia (down 11.2%), India (down 29.5%) and Azerbaijan (down 8.1%).
However, these losses were largely offset by increased arrivals from other markets. The European Union recorded a 30.2% rise in visitors, while arrivals from Turkey grew by 5.8% and Russia by 5.2%. Notably strong growth was also observed from China (up 48.6%), Ukraine (up 24.5%) and Saudi Arabia (up 36.6%).
Galt & Taggart stated that the diversification of source markets helped cushion the impact of regional instability, allowing Georgia to maintain overall tourism performance.
