Based on revenues generated from tourism, Georgia holds the 69th place out of 141 countries in the world. According to data by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), Georgia received 2.7 billion USD from tourism last year.
Based on revenues generated from tourism, the USA is in first place with 210.7 billion USD. In 2017, 75.9 million tourists visited the USA.
In second place is Spain with 68 billion USD, having welcomed 81.8 million tourists in one year.
In third place is France with 60.7 billion USD and 86.9 million tourists.
In fourth place is Thailand, which generated 57.5 billion USD from tourism in one year. The UK completes the top 5 list with revenues of 51.2 billion USD.
Throughout the first 8 months of this year Georgia received 2.23 billion USD from tourism. August was the most lucrative month with revenues of 441 million USD, which in comparison to the same period the previous year is higher by 47 million USD (12%). In August of last year Georgia received revenues of 394 million USD from tourism. Throughout this year, the highest increase in revenues from tourism was recorded in April with a 33.4% increase.
Within Europe (which combines the data of 48 countries) Georgia holds the 30th place for revenues generated from tourism. In 2016, Georgia received 2.16 billion USD from tourism whereas, in 2010 the country received 659 million USD.
According to the UNWTO annual report, last year was very positive for world tourism– 2017 saw the biggest increase in a number of international tourist arrivals since 2010. Globally, international visits grew by 7%, and revenues from tourism grew by 5% and exceeded 1.3 trillion USD. France is in first place with the highest number of international tourist arrivals, followed by Spain and the USA.
It is worth noting that in the USA the number of international tourist arrivals decreased by 3.8%, nonetheless, the revenues from tourism increased by 1.9%. 40% of tourism expenditure goes to Europe. According to the report, Chinese tourists account for the biggest share of the expenditure having spent over 258 billion USD on travel.
In second place are American tourists, who spend over 135 billion USD on travel annually. According to the UNWTO data, among those countries that saw the biggest increase in the number of international tourist arrivals, Georgia stands in fourth place after Egypt, Vietnam, and Togo.
According to the data by the Georgian National Tourism Administration, on average a visitor in Georgia spends 1144 GEL. According to the data, in the second quarter of last year the biggest share of the tourism spending went to food and beverages (in total 27%), and accommodation (22.1%). Among the neighboring countries, on average visitors from Russia spent the highest amount with 1,253 GEL per trip, followed by Turkey with 865 GEL, Armenia 578 GEL, and Azerbaijan 349 GEL. Visitors from central and east Europe spent 2049 GEL per trip on average, the representatives of the rest of Europe spent 2726 GEL on average, and other country representatives 2653 GEL.
Although the revenues generated by tourism in Georgia are not necessarily high compared to other countries, its share in GDP amounts to over 15% (2016): In Montenegro, this indicator stands at 21%, in Croatia 19%. Georgia is ahead of Greece for example, where tourism has less than an 8% contribution to GDP.
