According to Galt & Taggart’s weekly review, the slight decline in international visitors to Georgia in the first quarter of 2026 reflects the impact of escalating tensions in the Middle East, particularly on travel in March.
Overall, international arrivals (tourist and same-day visits combined) decreased by 0.2% year-on-year to 1.2 million, mainly driven by a 19% drop in same-day visits, while tourist arrivals increased by 4%, accounting for 85.2% of total visits.
The report highlights sharp declines in visitors from Israel (-17.5%), Iran (-48.8%), Armenia (-11.2%), India (-29.5%) and Azerbaijan (-8.1%). These losses were largely offset by growth from the EU (+30.2%), Turkey (+5.8%), Russia (+5.2%), China (+48.6%), Ukraine (+24.5%) and Saudi Arabia (+36.6%).
G&T notes that while regional geopolitical tensions weighed on travel flows, diversified demand from other markets helped stabilize overall tourism performance in the first quarter.
