Tourism in Georgia is an increasingly important component of the country's economy. In 2015 it employed around 158,500 people, producing 6.7 percent of Georgia's GDP and providing US$1.94 billion of revenue. In 2019, the number of international arrivals reached a record high of 9.3 million people with foreign exchange income in the year's first three quarters amounting to over US$3 billion. The country plans to host 11 million visitors by 2025 with annual revenues reaching US$6.6 billion.

The expenditures of foreign visitors to Georgia have a significant effect on the balance of payments, and approximately 35.9 percent of Georgia’s goods and service export revenue comes from tourism. International tourists stay an average of 6.5 days.

The official body tasked with promoting tourism to Georgia is the Georgian National Tourism Administration (GNTA). In 2016, the GNTA participated in 21 international and domestic tourism fairs, conducted marketing campaigns on 16 target markets, and hosted 99 press and familiarization trips.

Accommodation

As of August 2017, there were a total of 1,945 accommodation units registered in the GNTA database, with a total of 65,656 beds. The regions with the most beds were Tbilisi - 17,796 (27.1 percent) and Adjara - 12,126 (18.5 percent). The most prevalent form of accommodation is hotels (41,123 beds), followed by Family Hotels (11,374 beds). In 2017, 60 new hotels with a combined bed number of 3,894 were opened. From 2017 to 2019, 194 hotels are planned to open, with a total bed number of 21,216.

Hotel chains with operations in Georgia include:Marriott Hotels & Resorts,Le Méridien, Courtyard by Marriott, Mercure, Millennium Hotel, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, and Radisson Hotels.

Batumi features several casinos that attract tourists from Turkey, where casino gambling is illegal.

Statistics

+Tourist arrivals of 2018 in %

+Yearly tourist arrivals in millions

Arrivals by country

The most common citizenships of international visitors arriving in each year, 2014-2025:International Travel (Residence) (2018)

+Arrivals in Georgia (2022–2025)RankCountry2025202420232022 1,579,764 1,421,923 1,110,762 868,229 1,248,881 1,336,834 770,811 540,135 948,242 948,299 515,668 383,226 402,426 310,982 211,548 205,874 292,149 219,356 173,922 135,429 169,367 178,930 159,008 115,022 150,325 140,536 124,333 125,615 142,476 124,335 83,930 52,688 136,826 118,528 132,127 156,91911 127,895 88,583 46,875 7,255 120,068 145,670 123,737 100,91012 96,340 88,298 70,676 117,48013 83,656 78,644 64,468 45,63514 79,722 66,504 88,405 41,15015 72,913 64,259 49,432 46,004Total number of tourists7,803,2397,368,1496,171,5404,703,945 2014-2017 № Country 2014№ Country 2015№ Country 2016№ Country 20171 1,442,695 1 1,468,888 1 1,523,075 1 1,301,556 2 1,325,635 2 1,393,257 2 1,496,246 2 1,287,168 3 1,283,214 3 1,391,721 3 1,254,089 3 1,135,610 4 811,621 4 926,144 4 1,037,564 4 1,007,276 5 143,521 5 141,734 5 172,631 5 282,549 6 47,929 6 59,487 6 147,915 6 169,862 7 46,314 7 41,425 7 92,213 7 115,040 8 42,385 8 36,826 8 48,809 8 48,913 9 33,446 9 36,777 9 44,388 9 56,765 10 28,394 10 31,147 10 40,889 10 56,247 Total number of tourists in 2014 5,515,559 Total number of tourists in 2015 5,255,999 Total number of tourists in 2016 5,392,816 Total number of tourists in 2017 6,482,830 2018-2021 № Country 2018№ Country 2019№ Country 2020№Country20211 1,424,610 1 1,526,619 1 335,580 1 326,4942 1,404,757 2 1,471,558 2 295,132 2 212,9793 1,268,886 3 1,365,048 3 260,965 3 164,6984 1,098,555 4 1,156,513 4 208,677 4 144,9015 291,070 5 207,667 5 42,414 5 100,6866 177,058 6 205,051 6 25,731 6 82,7187 156,922 7 141,997 7 14,410 7 66,7878 66,903 8 103,611 8 14,340 8 63,4379 64,486 9 89,051 9 13,779 9 53,69810 58,955 10 88,300 10 4,960 10 36,384 Total number of tourists in 2018 7,203,350 Total number of tourists in 2019 7,725,774 Total number of tourists in 2020 1,513,421 Total number of tourists in 2021 1,721,242

Destinations and attractions

Destinations Attractions Tbilisi Old Tbilisi • Narikala • Rustaveli Avenue and Freedom Square • Funicular • "Dry bridge" • Agmashenebeli Avenue • Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia • Art Museum of Georgia • Gabriadze Theater • Holy Trinity Cathedral • Ethnographic Museum • Tbilisi Botanical Garden • Lisi Lake • Rike park • Sioni Cathedral • Anchiskhati Basilica • Chardin street • Mtatsminda Park Mtskheta UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, Jvari Monastery, St. Nino Monastery • Bebristsikhe • Armaztsikhe (Bagineti) • Armazi Fortress • Monastery of Shio Mghvime • Zedazeni • Ilia Chavchavadze Saguramo State Museum Gori Gori Fortress • Virgin Mary Cathedral • Historical-Ethnographic Museum • State Museum of Joseph Stalin • Museum of Military Glory • Gorijvari (resort) • Uplistsikhe • Ateni Gorge • Village Gardateni • Ruisi Cathedral of Transfiguration • Urbnisi Cathedral Zugdidi Dadiani Palace History and Architectural Museum • Ganmukhuri and Anaklia (Black Sea Resorts) • Kolkheti National Park • The swinging rock – "Kuakantsalia" • Khobi Monastery • Skuri (resort) • Complex of "Otsindale" • Shurubumu (wonder of the natural world) • Canyon of Intsra • Enguri Hydropower Plant Kutaisi UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Bagrati Cathedral, Gelati Monastery • Motsameta Monastery • Kutaisi State Historical Museum • National Museum of Military Glory • Historical district of the city • Vani Archeological Museum • Sataplia Nature Reserve • Prometheus Cave • Katskhi Pillar • Okatse Canyon Telavi Telavi State History and Ethnography Museum • Cholokashvili Street • Batonis Tsikhe Castle • Nadikvari Park • Giant Plane tree • Old Shuamta (one of the olsdest Orthodox churches in Georgia) • New Shuamta • Ikalto • Alexandre Chavchavadze Tsinandali Museum • Alaverdi Monastery Mestia UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Ushguli (one of the highest settlements in Europe) • Svaneti Historic and Ethnography Museum • Museum of Michael Khergiani • Transfiguration Cathedral in Laghami • Ski lift and the view from Zuruldi • Chalaadi Glacier • Kala settlement • Village Adishi • Ipari-Nakipari Church of St. George • Latali Church of the Lord • Hiking • Camping Stepantsminda Stepantsminda Historic Museum • Gergeti Trinity Church • Gveleti Waterfall • Devdoraki Glacier • Dariali Gorge • Upper Truso Gorge • Khdi Gorge • Gorge of Artkhmo • Village Sno • Juta • Hiking • Camping Borjomi Blue Palace "Firuza" • Mineral Water Park • Borjomi Museum of Local Lore • Gogia’s Castle • Peter’s Castle • Likani Palace • Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park • Timotesubani Monastery - The Cathedral of Holy Virgin • The Green Monastery • Kvabiskhevi Church of the Assumption Batumi Beaches of Adjara • Old Batumi • Batumi Boulevard • Batumi Botanical Garden • Dolphinarium • Piazza Batumi • "Argo" Entertainment Center and Batumi Cable Car • Gonio Fortress • Makhuntseti Waterfall • Skhalta Monastery • Mtirala National Park Akhaltsikhe Rabati Castle • Atskuri Fortress • Sapara Monastery • Vardzia (cave town) • Khertvisi Fortress • Georgian National Astrophysical Observatory • Akhaltsikhe Synagogue Kvareli Kindzmarauli vineyard • Khareba vineyard • Ilia Lake resort • House-Museum of Ilia Chavchavadze • Kvareli Fortress Sighnaghi Town Streets, Museum of Sighnaghi • St. Stephen Church • Wineries • Bodbe Monastery Gudauri Skiing • Paragliding • Heli-skiing • Speedriding • Snowboarding • Ski school Bakuriani Skiing • Snowboarding • Recreation • Bakuriani Park • Snowmobiling Tetnuldi Skiing • Mountaineering • Snowboarding Goderdzi Skiing • Snowboarding • Freeriding

Winemaking Georgia is one of the oldest wine regions in the world, and winemaking is deeply ingrained in the culture of the country. The oldest archaeological remains related to grape seeds and winemaking dating back 8,000 years have been found at an archeological site at Gadachrili Gora, in Georgia, while today the country has over 500 varieties of grape. As of 2019, Georgia has 20 appellations of origin of wines, they are: Tsinandali, Napareuli, Atenuri, Kindzmarauli, Akhasheni, Mukuzani, Khvanchkara, etc.

Ecotourism

41 percent of Georgia's territory is covered by forests, with 25 percent of Georgia's territory lying within protected national parks. Protected areas of Georgia offer various services including: boating tours, birdwatching, eco-educational tours, hiking, horse riding, biking, safari tours, sport fishing. Georgia is a home to about 5,601 species of animals, including 648 species of vertebrates (more than 1 percent of the species found worldwide) and many of these species are endemics.

In 2016, 310,477 foreign and 424,397 Georgian citizens visited the Protected Areas of Georgia. The most popular attractions were Prometheus Cave, Kazbegi National Park and Sataplia Managed Reserve.Nana Bolashvili, Andreas Dittmann, Lorenz King, Vazha Neidze (eds.): National Atlas of Georgia, 138 pages, Steiner Verlag, 2018,

Safety

A travel advisory was in place during and after the 2008 Russo-Georgian War. It had the severity level of "extreme danger", due to the risks associated with fallout from the war, including land mines.

Since then, tourist safety has improved, and in 2017, the International Crime Index ranked Georgia as the 7th safest country out of the 125 in its index.

Practical information Georgia uses the standard Europlug (220 V, 50 Hz), the international dialing prefix is +995, it uses the metric system, and its currency is the lari (GEL or ₾).

Mandatory travel insurance Foreign visitors to Georgia are required, under Decree No. 602 of the Government of Georgia (adopted 26 December 2025 and effective 1 January 2026), to hold travel medical insurance for the duration of their stay, with a minimum coverage limit of 30,000 GEL (approximately 11,000 USD). Proof of insurance is verified at land and air border crossings alongside the passport. Diplomats, certain treaty-country nationals, and air transit passengers who do not clear passport control are exempt. See Visa policy of Georgia#Mandatory travel insurance for full regulatory detail.

See also Visa policy of Georgia List of airports in Georgia (country)

Notes and references

External links

Official Georgian government website on tourism, by the Department of Tourism and Resorts of Georgia Tourism Geoinformation Center: Tours across Georgia (in English)