Armenia and Azerbaijan won from Georgia’s closure for Russian tourists

Other countries of the Transcaucasus, Armenia and Azerbaijan, where tour operators saw a noticeable increase, benefited from the closure of Georgia for Russian tourists. Also, Turkey, the Black Sea coast of Russia and Abkhazia note an increase of the Russian tourist flow. This assessment was voiced at a press conference by the executive director of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) Maya Lomidze. 

The termination of the flights, the expert said, was an important argument in the situation with tourism sector, as it became inconvenient for travelers to get to Georgia using connecting flights. At the same time, tour operators cannot sell tours to Georgia. 

“Air traffic was canceled due to the possible insecurity of the destination for the Russian citizens. And when our government considers this region safe, then, accordingly, tourist flow will somehow resume,” Maya Lomidze added.