Shalva Alaverdashvili, founder of the Hotels Federation, says that the war currently taking place in the Middle East is already affecting the tourism sector, though nothing alarming has occurred so far. Speaking with BMG, he noted that bookings are being postponed rather than canceled, which he considers a reassuring sign for the industry.
“Bookings are being rescheduled, not canceled, especially from Dubai, Kuwait, and Israel, due to flight cancellations. At this stage, this is a positive sign. Nearly 90% of the travelers whose bookings were affected say they are postponing - not canceling - their reservations. Everyone expects that they will still use their bookings later, and that after a certain period, these reservations will remain valid. This is very good and gives us confidence,” said Alaverdashvili.
He added that during last summer’s Middle Eastern conflict, bookings were also postponed rather than canceled. Based on this, he hopes the current conflict will also be short-lived and that these postponements will not turn into cancellations.
“I hope these bookings will not collapse and will simply be delayed. Guests intend to use them later because almost 50% of the bookings were prepaid - 30% pre-payment in many cases - and these guests are not asking for refunds at this stage. They say they will use this money later,” Alaverdashvili noted, adding that postponements are happening mainly in Tbilisi and Batumi. According to him, bookings for summer tours have not yet been canceled, and everyone remains in a waiting mode.
