Gudauri's hotel industry says Georgia must diversify its tourism source markets, warning that relying on a single country or region will not deliver sustainable growth.
Speaking on BMGTV's Women's Narrative program, Giorgi Kvitsinashvili, owner of Best Western Gudauri, said the recent decline in visitors from the Middle East due to regional conflicts has highlighted the risks of dependence on individual markets.
"The drop in tourist arrivals from the Middle East is a reality. The conflict involving Iran and Israel, along with the broader regional situation, has affected people's travel decisions," he said.
Kvitsinashvili also noted that Gudauri lost an important source of visitors after IndiGo suspended its flights, reducing arrivals from India.
"When IndiGo launched flights, it was a major boost because the Indian market filled a period when demand was weakest. It became an important opportunity for the sector, but that flow has now stopped," he said.
He argued that replacing losses from one market with another is not enough to achieve growth.
"If one market simply replaces the losses from another, we're only recovering what we've lost. Real growth requires steady increases across multiple markets—China, India, the Middle East, Europe, and others," Kvitsinashvili said.
He welcomed the expansion of air connectivity with China, including the launch of Shanghai flights, describing it as a positive development given the high spending potential of Chinese tourists. However, he stressed that China alone cannot compensate for lost demand from India.
"Sustainable tourism growth depends on attracting visitors from as many countries as possible. Every market has its own season and travel patterns, so relying on a single source is not a solution," he added.
