Israel Surpasses Turkey: New Structure of Georgia’s Tourism Revenue

In the first quarter of 2025, Georgia’s tourism industry generated $826 million, marking a 2.3% increase compared to the same period in 2024, according to the National Bank of Georgia. This is a historic record for January–March.



Russia remained Georgia’s largest tourism revenue source, contributing $141.8 million. For the first time, Israel overtook Turkey to claim second place—a significant shift in the revenue geography. Just a year ago, Israel ranked fourth; now, it has firmly moved into the key markets with revenue up 73.7% to $114.2 million. Turkey dropped to third place, generating $107 million.

Azerbaijan ranked fourth with $48.6 million, up nearly 20% year-on-year. Ukraine placed fifth with $33.7 million (+2%). Armenia remained among Georgia’s top inbound markets despite a slight decline, contributing $28.2 million, followed by Iran with $27.2 million.



In terms of revenue growth, alongside Israel and Azerbaijan, Saudi Arabia stood out with a 12.3% increase, reaching $8.7 million. This sustained growth reflects rising interest from the Gulf region and points to the potential for deeper tourism ties.

The European Union collectively accounted for $103.2 million in revenue. While showing a slight decline from Q1 2024, interest from EU visitors remains stable.

According to the National Tourism Administration, Georgia recorded more than 1.3 million international visits in Q1 2025—up 1.1% from the same period in 2024. The number of tourism-related trips rose 2.2% to 958,947.

Turkey led arrivals with 225,265 trips, followed by Russia (219,264), Armenia (~181,000), Israel with a sharp 72.9% increase to 80,896, and Azerbaijan rounding out the top five with a 25.9% increase to 64,818. Among the top 15 countries, notable increases came from China (+40.1% to 13,875) and India (+27.7% to 26,372).

By region, Europe topped the list with 933,040 visits (+0.3%), followed by East Asia and the Pacific with 90,672 visits (+7.7%), and the Middle East with 27,180 visits (+5.6%). The highest growth came from Africa, up 14.9% to 4,428 visits.

In 2024, Georgia welcomed 7.36 million international visitors, a 4.2% increase from 2023. Tourism-related trips rose 9% to 5.1 million. The largest visitor sources were Russia (1.4 million), Turkey (1.3 million), Armenia (948,000), Israel (310,000), and Azerbaijan (219,000). Significant increases were also recorded from China (+83.4% to 88,000), India (+46.8% to 124,000), Uzbekistan (+23.4% to 64,000), and Saudi Arabia (+21% to 88,000).

Tourist arrivals reached four-year highs, while tourism revenue in 2024 surpassed a 14-year record at over $4.4 billion. Russia contributed over $850 million, Turkey $612 million, and Israel $194 million.

Experts remain optimistic, forecasting further growth in arrivals and revenue. Rising interest from the Middle East and Asia, expanded air connections, and Georgia’s promotion in new markets provide a solid foundation for sustainable tourism development. The industry plays a critical role in the economy by generating foreign currency inflows, boosting employment, and creating opportunities for investment—especially in the hospitality sector. Growing tourist flows also enhance profitability for rental properties, stimulate construction, improve regional infrastructure, and expand accommodation offerings.