Tbilisi tour operators report outflow of Russian tourists

The owners of travel companies that focused on Russian tourists are at risk of losses due to the imposed ban on Russian-Georgian air flights, while owners of private apartments have not experienced any problems because of decreased tourist traffic from Russia. Some cafes in Tbilisi have announced increased prices for Russians.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree banning flights to Georgia. Due to the subsequent decrease in tourist flow from Russia, the Georgian tourist market may lose about 250-300 million US dollars, some Georgian NGOs believe.

Amid the cancellation of direct Russian-Georgian flights, the flow of Russian tourists has noticeably decreased. Of the 50 vouchers booked by Russian citizens, 45 were cancelled, said Khatuna, an employee of a Tbilisi-based tour operator.

At the background of the decrease in tourist flow from Russia, her company intends to more actively attract tourists from Ukraine and Belarus, but citizens of these countries are "not as solvent as Russians," she has added.

The residents of Tbilisi, who are leasing their apartments renting to tourists on the day-by-day basis, have felt the decrease in tourist traffic from Russia to a lesser extent. According to Zurab, an apartment owner from Tbilisi, his guests are mainly tourists from European countries.

Tbilisi cafes have noticed a decrease in the number of visitors from Russia. Some cafes have increased, as a sign of solidarity with protesters, prices for Russians by 20% citing the proportion of the occupied territory of Georgia – Abkhazia and South Ossetia.