Chinese tourists have helped offset declines from other markets, but European visitors remain the highest-spending segment for Georgia’s hospitality industry, according to Irakli Chigladze, founder of hotel management company KA Group. He said the expansion of international flights, including new services to Shanghai from July, has helped hotels maintain occupancy levels.
Chigladze said around 95% of Chinese visitors arriving through the company’s segment are elderly travelers who purchase full tour packages before departure and therefore rarely buy additional services in Georgia. By contrast, European and post-Soviet visitors are more likely to spend on extra services during their stay, making the European market particularly valuable for hotels.
European visitor numbers have grown steadily since the pandemic, although most European markets remain smaller in volume than some of Georgia’s leading source markets. Poland is a notable exception, with a large and still-growing flow of tourists. Among other European countries recording at least 1,000 overnight stays at KA Group hotels, Germany, France, Spain and Italy are the main markets.
Looking ahead to the autumn and winter low season, Chinese tour operators have already begun requesting lower seasonal rates, with group bookings starting to arrive. Chighladze also expects MICE and corporate tourism to become an important source of revenue toward the end of the year, particularly from November through January 20, when companies traditionally hold corporate events and year-end meetings. KA Group currently manages 13 hotels across nine regions of Georgia.
