Experts at Galt & Taggart believe that the ongoing situation in Iran is a challenge for tourism, but its impact on Georgia’s tourism sector will be minimal, according to the bank’s economist Lasha Kavtaradze, who spoke on the TV program “Business Morning”.
“Of course, there will be challenges this year, and one of them is the situation in Iran, which may affect the tourism sector. However, this impact will be minimal, given that revenues from Iranian tourists account for only about 2.7% of total tourism income, roughly $125 million. Even in the extreme scenario where tourist flows from Iran stop completely, the impact on economic growth would likely be only a 0.25 percentage point slowdown, which is negligible,” Kavtaradze said.
The economist noted that tourism revenues in December 2025 grew by 5.3% to $280 million, bringing total tourism income for the year to $4.6 billion.
“Based on foreign card payments, we estimate that December tourism revenues rose by 5.3% to $280 million. In total, tourism brought in $4.6 billion in 2025. For 2026, we expect the sector to perform even better, with revenues reaching $4.9 billion. Tourism contributes roughly 14% of Georgia’s GDP and employs about 220,000 people, both directly and indirectly. When tourism grows, it supports more inclusive economic growth,” Kavtaradze added.
