Georgian tour operators are increasingly forced to fly groups out of Yerevan due to significantly higher ticket prices at Kutaisi International Airport, according to Lasha Berekashvili, director of Travel To Georgia.
He says fares from Armenia are often nearly twice as cheap on the same European routes, and Wizz Air operates more destinations from Yerevan than from Kutaisi. “There is no real competition in Kutaisi. Wizz Air has no rival, so it doesn’t expand routes and raises prices,” Berekashvili told BMG.
As a result, companies are compelled to choose far more complicated and exhausting travel itineraries to keep tour prices affordable. Berekashvili notes that new tours, such as one planned to Naples, must now depart and return via Yerevan.
He adds that the solution lies in attracting new airlines and restoring canceled Wizz Air routes, including Riga, Tallinn, Copenhagen, London, and Vienna, whose suspension has dealt a significant blow to both inbound and outbound tourism.
