Georgian Residents Travel Abroad at Record Rates in 2022

According to data from the National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat), the number of visits made by Georgian residents to other countries increased significantly in the past year. In 2022, the total number of such visits reached 1.7 million, which is 3.2 times more than in the previous year.

The majority of these visits were made to neighboring countries, with Turkey being the most popular destination, accounting for 54.1% of all visits. Russia was the second most popular destination, accounting for 14.2% of visits. Other popular destinations included EU countries (10.9%), Armenia (7%), and Azerbaijan (1.2%). The remaining 12.6% of visits were made to other countries.

Interestingly, 95.9% of the visits made by Georgian residents were repeat visits, indicating that many Georgians enjoy traveling to the same destinations multiple times.

In terms of expenses, the total amount spent by Georgian resident visitors abroad in 2022 was 1 billion 800 million GEL (approximately $547 million USD). On average, each visitor spent 1,078.6 GEL (approximately $327 USD) during their trip.

The largest expense category for Georgian visitors abroad was shopping, accounting for 759.9 million GEL (approximately $231 million USD) and averaging 448.7 GEL (approximately $136 USD) per visit. Food and drinks were the second largest expense category, with a total of 552.1 million GEL (approximately $168 million USD) spent, averaging 326.1 GEL (approximately $99 USD) per visit. Accommodation was the third largest expense category, with 255.9 million GEL (approximately $78 million USD) spent, averaging 151.1 GEL (approximately $46 USD) per visit. Local transport, entertainment, health, cultural and sports events, and other expenses made up the remaining categories.