Erekle Kokaia, Executive Director of “Inn Group” hotels declares that accommodation prices in Gudauri have increased by 10–20% this year. Despite the rise, demand remains strong, and reservations at their property have already reached 80%, Kokaia said on the “Business Morning” program.
He noted that the geography of winter tourists has not changed significantly. The main visitors still come from Israel, the Gulf countries and, from Europe, primarily Lithuania. While India and China appear in statistics, they make fewer trips to winter resorts. Kokaia added that there is no notable increase or decrease in European tourist inflows; last winter saw more guests from Lithuania, while summer brought more visitors from Poland and Germany. A key change, however, is that mass group tours have largely been replaced by individual travelers.
Kokaia also highlighted that mid-range hotels struggled last year, as demand was concentrated either in very low-budget or five-star accommodation. He stressed that the number of tourists is more important for the sector than their spending power: “It’s not that 10 wealthy guests are better than 100 average ones, we prefer 100, because that means 100 jobs, while 10 guests employ only 10 people,” he said.
With prices rising across all mountain resorts, Gudauri is seeing a particularly sharp increase this season. On average, rates are up by 10–20%, which translates to roughly 50–60 GEL more for a double room. “Reservations at our hotel have already reached 80% at this stage,” Kokaia added.
