Irakli Chigladze, founder of the hotel management company KA Group, discussed tourism trends and a recent meeting with the government’s economic team on BMGTV. He said that despite early-year challenges and the impact of the Israel–Iran conflict in June, Georgia’s tourism sector remained stable. KA Group is closing 2025 with 15% year-on-year growth.
According to Chigladze, KA Group hotels hosted guests from dozens of countries this year, with strong inflows from the Gulf, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. However, he noted that since the pandemic, the market share of European tourists has noticeably decreased. While visitors from Germany, Poland, Spain, Italy and France still arrive regularly, they are overshadowed by faster-growing markets.
Chigladze emphasized that Europeans have not declined sharply in absolute numbers, but their relative share has dropped, especially in local hotel brands, as Europeans more often choose international chains. He added that state marketing priorities are shifting: whereas 61% of the 2025 marketing budget targeted EU countries, the 2026 plan allocates only 47%, with increased focus on China and India.
Asked whether stalled EU integration or the delayed candidate status was discussed as a risk to tourism at the meeting, Chigladze said no such issues were raised. “As the private sector, we adapt. The meeting focused on sharing statistics and discussing future plans,” he noted.
