More Tourists Go to Georgia from Azerbaijan and Turkey than from Armenia

In the first three months of 2011, the number of international visitors to Georgia as compared to the same period last year increased by 41% to 486,506.

According to Georgia’s National Tourism Agency, along with the number of foreign tourists vacationing in the country’s ski resorts, there was also an impressive increase in the number of business visitors to Tbilisi and Batumi.

First place in the number of international visitors to Georgia goes to Turkey —149,145 tourists from Turkey, an increase of 47%, which is caused by the growth of visitors from that country for business purposes, on one hand, and an interest to gamble in Batumi, on the other.

Second place in number of tourists to Georgia is Azerbaijan with some 139,706 visitors, some of which prefer to take their holidays in Georgia’s ski resorts. And third place is Armenia.

During the first quarter of 2011, the number of visitors from Russia to Georgia increased by 35%, many spending the winter season in ski resorts such as the one in Gudauri.

Interestingly enough, Georgia’s National Tourism Agency noted the actual figures of tourists from Azerbaijan, Turkey and Russia (as mentioned above), but somehow omitted Armenia.