Resumption of direct flights from Russia to Georgia this year will increase the number of tourists that hit a record high in the country’s history, Shota Burjanadze, the founder of the Georgian Restaurateurs Association, says.
He believes that direct flights will increase the tourist attractiveness of any country according to the logic of things, so after May 15 the number of tourists arriving in Georgia from Russia will increase.
“Due to the lack of direct flights, Georgia has not been very popular among Russian tourists in recent years. But now when other destinations are limited and air traffic with Georgia is restored, their interest in our country will grow drastically. All this will definitely increase business revenue, but we shouldn’t forget about the country’s national interests on the other side,” he points out.
In Burjanadze’s opinion, Russian tourist inflows will not ensure the stability of the industry as well as the long-term planning.
“Russia, as an unfriendly country, is not a stable market for Georgia. We’ll have a high number of tourists, the industry will be reorganized, new facilities will be opened, but some time later the Russian market may suddenly close again. A few years ago, when our country was an active destination for Russian tourists, the quality in restaurants deteriorated — there were cases when pasta was put in khachapuri instead of cheese but even such product was sold. After direct air traffic was suspended and the focus shifted to European visitors, the service quality standards also increased amid high standard requirements, Georgian cuisine focused on quality. And now, when Russian tourists arrive en masse, food and service quality will be again at risk of deterioration,” Shota Burjanadze notes.
The founder of the Restaurant Association also believes that the restaurant industry is not ready to receive a record number of tourists and due to the lack of local products during the tourist season, prices are expected to rise.
"The situation will stabilize, become predictable and focus on stable development after Ukraine wins the war," he says.
