Georgia's Rising Tensions With Russia Could Be an Opportunity for Its Tourism
Skift Take
Georgia's tourism sector has been a striking success story over the last decade. While recent tensions with Russia threaten to upset the progress, they may also serve as the impetus for the country's tourism industry to become less reliant on its neighbor.
A little over 10 years ago, most travelers would not have considered going on vacation in Georgia, which shares its northern border with Russia. At the time, the nation was best known internationally for the war it had fought in 2008 against Russia over the provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
In just a decade, however, the nation has gone from little-known former Soviet republic to the place where all your hip friends are going on vacation. The country was host to 8.7 million international visits in 2018 — up from 3.1 million in 2011 — and tourism accounts for a third of its total GDP. Media coverage has focused on its picturesque mountain ranges, adventurous skiing, a happening arts scene in its capital Tbilisi, and a natural wine tradition.
[caption id="attachment_347647" align="alignnone" width="600"] Rooms Hotel in Tbilisi[/caption]
But despite its rapid success in building a thriving tourism sector, the country finds itself in the middle of escalating tensions with its powerful neighbor. Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended Russian flights to Georgia last month effective July 8, the start of the peak tourist season. He also asked that Russian tourists currently in Georgia leave, that Russian tour operators cancel upcoming trips, and later added a ban
