"The Asian market has replaced the European tourist segment in Georgia," - the tourism industry has to work in a new reality for which the market is not fully prepared.
Representatives of the sector say that Asian tourists, unlike Europeans, plan their trips in a short time and have specific requirements, which are often difficult to satisfy due to the lack of services in the market.
Georgia should focus on quality, not quantity, says Valeri Chekheria, founder and CEO of Salt Projects.
According to him, the purpose of the visits of high-spending European guests was business trips, which have decreased today. According to Chekheria, when the demand for high-quality services in the market decreases, this also affects the service.
“Since the whole world has started to actively travel, it is trying to make a choice between quality and quantity. The choice is made on quality, not on mass tourism. A quality tourist spends more.
This was created by too many business travelers in Georgia, too many conferences were held and business travelers came, especially in the spring. All conference halls were full, all regional hotels, we no longer have this segment, we lacked it.
The tourist does not get the appropriate product either, if the restaurants do not have it, the quality tourist no longer tries to spend too much. Direct flights and correct segmental calculations are necessary; it is also important to explain what we expect from the countries to the tourist flows so that the business is ready to meet them, to introduce new products and services,” says Valeri Chekheria, the founder of Salt Projects.
