The flow of Russian tourists to Georgia and Armenia displayed divergent trends in the first nine months of 2024, according to the Russian Union of the Travel Industry (RUTI).
While Georgia saw a record increase of 447.8%, welcoming 184.6 thousand Russian tourists, Armenia registered a decline, with 250.9 thousand visits compared to 335.9 thousand during the same period last year.
Despite the decrease in tourist flow, both South Caucasus countries remain among the top ten destinations for Russian travelers, alongside Turkey, the UAE, Egypt, China, Thailand, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan.
Georgia reported one of the most remarkable growth rates following the resumption of direct flights with Russia in May 2023. The drop in Armenia’s tourist flow may be partially attributed to a shift in transit travelers who now use direct flights to their final destinations.
During the reported period, Russians made a total of 8.7 million trips abroad, reflecting a 23.2% increase from the previous year. However, this figure still lags significantly behind the pre-pandemic level of 14.2 million trips in 2019.
