Tourism in Georgia’s Imereti region is seeing a shift this summer. According to Lasha Berekashvili, director of Travel To Georgia, the number of tourists from Europe is decreasing each month, resulting in reduced revenues for the local tourism industry.
In contrast, there has been a rise in visitors from the Middle East, especially following the recent easing of tensions between Israel and Iran. Berekashvili notes that airlines like Wizz Air have strengthened connections with Persian Gulf countries, which are now a key source of tourists for Imereti.
"We’re seeing growth from the Middle East, especially Israel, but this doesn’t make up for the drop in European visitors," he said.
He also emphasized that domestic tourism is not growing fast enough to fill the gap. Poor logistics and infrastructure remain a major barrier: there is no direct train or flight between Kutaisi and Tbilisi, and the city lacks a central international bus terminal. In addition, tourism services across all 12 municipalities of Imereti remain underdeveloped.
"Without improving transport and services, it’s hard to attract or retain tourists," Berekashvili concluded.
