Georgia Enters the Regional Leaders in Tourism

Azerbaijan has taken the second place in the list of countries whose citizens most often choose to rest in Georgia. This was stated by the head of the Georgian National Tourism Administration Georgy Chogovadze recently at a briefing in Tbilisi dedicated to the tourism results of the past year. During the reporting period, the number of Azerbaijani tourists who spent their holidays in Georgian resorts was 1,694,998 people, which is 11.2% more than in 2016.

According to Chogovadze, last year Georgia was visited by a total of 7,554,936 foreigners, which exceeds the similar indicator of 2016 by 18.8%.

Leadership in terms of the number of tourists, who came to Georgia on vacation, or on a business trip, belongs to Armenia - 1,718,016 people. The third place in the ranking is Russia (1,392,610 people), followed by Turkey (1,246,745). As a result of three quarters of 2017, foreign tourism revenue was $ 2.2 billion. This is 29% more than the indicator for the same period last year.

If we draw parallels between statistics on the tourism sector of Georgia and Azerbaijan, our figures look more modest. According to preliminary data compared with the corresponding period in 2016, for 11 months of last year the number of tourists that arrived in the country increased by 20%, amounting to 2,477,908 people. The increase in the flow of tourists was observed from Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Russia. The budget received $ 1.3 billion from foreign tourism, while Azerbaijani tourists leaving abroad spent $ 1.2 billion. Thus, a surplus of $ 100 million arose in this sphere, which is certainly not bad, but it does not meet expectations.

However, Azerbaijani tourists prefer not only the Black Sea coast, forests and hills of Georgia, but also Turkey, with its numerous resort areas and health care centers. At the same time, this preference is already permanent. By the way, every year about 550 thousand of our fellow citizens visit Turkey. What is the reason for this attraction - in the nature, or the beautiful landscape, or the historical sites? But all this is enough in Azerbaijan.

As shown by the survey carried out by the Center for Sustainable Development Studies among Azerbaijanis leaving for a foreign holiday, the main reason for choosing a Turkish or Georgian holiday destination is low prices for housing, prices and menus in restaurants, and high level of service. Respondents also noted the state of roads in the resort areas. The main roads have been repaired in Azerbaijan, but the condition of country roads can be estimated as bad. In the same Georgia, you can easily reach the most difficult of historical places. The roads are quite good and they can be easily driven along by very ordinary passenger cars.

In our country there are also beautiful hotels on the sea coast, like Turkish Antalya, Kush Adasy, etc. But sky-high prices for vacation, say, in Nabran, scare many guests. A week of rest here is almost like a trip to a Turkish hotel on an all-inclusive basis, which is also subject to air travel.

As the chairman of the Center for Sustainable Development Studies, Nariman Agayev, notes, the results of our sociological survey make us think. The main reason for the dissatisfaction of the residents of Baku (90%), who spent their holidays in the regions of the country, is quality of service and high cost. Respondents under 35 (38%) prefer rest in Europe, and older respondents (especially with children) with an average income (56%) choose Georgia and Turkey.

"In the same Turkey, almost all hotels include three meals a day in the cost of living. But as a rule, only breakfast is offered in Azerbaijan. In addition, the level of service is very low here. In this sphere, huge funds are invested, but the management is unsatisfactory, the programs of the routes are not thought out, and the culture of service is not up to par. Because there are no professionals, and entrepreneurs want to have their expenses quickly paid back with a minimal investment, closing their eyes to the dissatisfaction of the guests. That's why no one comes to our country for the second time," Agayev said.

Analysis of the situation in the tourism segment in Azerbaijan and Georgia shows that we have many shortcomings and problems in this area. They are associated with a lack of healthy competition and sound pricing, monopoly dominance, low quality of service and road conditions. The comparison, of course, is not in our favor. Yes, we lose to Georgia in all respects: the number of tourists arriving for rest, the conditions of rest, the developed infrastructure, and the ability to attract guests. In order to become a regional leader in this area we need to work hard, building two-three-star hotels and increasing the culture of service. Then the country will become more attractive for tourists.