Sophio Kikadze, Director of the Old Borjomi hotel in the resort town of Borjomi, says this summer season marks an unprecedented decline in tourist demand, particularly in the month of July.
“Our reservations are frozen. There are very few people, and the situation is uncertain. I’ve never seen July like this, we have only 10 bookings for the entire month. That’s practically nothing,” Kikadze told BM.GE.
The hotel, which opened in 2018 and has a 60-guest capacity, typically enjoys strong demand during the summer season. According to Kikadze, a double room with breakfast costs 190 GEL in high season and around 150 GEL off-season, yet even attractive pricing has not prevented the current slump.
Kikadze says the drop in demand is compounded by changes in traveler behavior. In contrast to previous years, when bookings were made six months to a year in advance, guests now tend to make last-minute decisions, often without any reservation at all.
“The booking system has completely changed. People don’t plan ahead anymore. At most, we get a reservation one month in advance, or they just show up.”
Currently, the majority of hotel guests are arriving from Turkey, Israel, Kazakhstan, and various Arab countries. A slight increase in Israeli tourists is expected later in the month.
Traditionally, European tourists, especially from France and Germany, have made up the bulk of the hotel’s clientele. Domestic tourism, according to Kikadze, has always played a minimal role in the facility’s operations.
