In January-April 2019, 367.2 thousand Russian citizens visited Georgia, which is 23.1% more than in the same period of 2018, the National Tourism Administration of the Republic reported on Monday. In April, the number of Russians who visited Georgia increased by 26.5% compared to April last year -  up to 113.1 thousand people, or 17.5% of all visitors, whose number in the second month of spring increased by 4.6% - to 647.8 thousand people. 

From the beginning of the year, from January to February, 155.6 Russian tourists arrived in Georgia. This figure increased by 10%, compared with the same period in 2018. This was reported by the National Tourism Administration in Georgia. 

“UTair Aviation Company will start regular flights from Ufa to Kutaisi (Georgia) from October 1”, - informs the website of Ufa International Airport. Departures from Ufa are scheduled twice a week - on Mondays and Thursdays, arrivals - on Wednesday and Sunday. Flights to Kutaisi will be performed by Boeing-737-500 airplane in a two-class configuration. UTair Aviation Company is the largest carrier of Ufa airport, which performs more than 25% of flights. According to the timetable on the airport's website, at present UVT-Aero Airlines is flying to Georgia (Batumi) from Ufa. JSC Ufa International Airport (100% owned to Bashkiria) serves more than 40 Russian and foreign airlines. The airport has two runways, an air terminal complex consisting of two terminals, providing a total capacity of 1.4 thousand passengers per hour.

“Ural Airlines, which has been carrying out four flights a week from Zhukovsky airport (Moscow) to Tbilisi, began flights daily from May 29”, - said Anzor Kavtiashvili the Russian airline representative in Georgia. "In connection with the upcoming summer season, Ural Airlines is increasing the frequency of flights to Georgian capital from St. Petersburg and Sochi from two to three a week since mid-June. And the airline plans to add a frequency of flights to Batumi", - stressed A. Kavtiashvili. He noted that currently the airplanes of the airline fly from Russia to Georgia along eight routes, including from Moscow and St. Petersburg - to Tbilisi and Batumi, from Moscow to Kutaisi, from Sochi to Tbilisi, from Ekaterinburg to Batumi. And last week a new flight was launched - between Krasnodar and Tbilisi.

“In January-April 2018 357,000 Russian citizens visited Georgia, which is 31.2% more than the same period of 2017”, - reports the National Tourism Administration of Georgia. As the Head of the department Georgy Chogovadze said, in April the number of Russians who visited Georgia increased by 43.4% in comparison with April of the last year - up to 124 thousand people, which is a record indicator for the second month of spring during the last 12 years.

“233,000 Russian citizens visited Georgia in January-March 2018, which is 25.5% more than in the same period of the last year”, - said the Head of the National Tourism Administration Georgy Chogovadze. According to him, in March the number of Russians who visited Georgia increased by 37% in comparison with March 2017 - up to 91.5 thousand people, which is a record number for the first month of spring over the past 12 years.

“In January-February 2018 141.5 thousand Russian citizens visited Georgia, which is 19.1% more than in the same period of the last year”, - reported the information and analytical department of the country's Interior Ministry. In February, the number of Russians who visited Georgia increased against February 2017 by 24.2% - up to 70.4 thousand people, which is a record figure for the last 11 years.

Pobeda airline (part of Aeroflot group), which currently performs daily flights between Rostov-on-Don and Tbilisi, plans to begin regular flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Kutaisi (the largest city in Western Georgia). "The regular flights will be carried out, presumably, since September", - said Ketevan Aleksidze,

“Georgian Airways has received permission from the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation to carry out direct regular flights between Tbilisi and Kazan in spring 2018”, - reported the General Director of the airline Givi Davitashvili. "Georgian Airways will perform direct flights on the route Tbilisi - Kazan from March 26 to December 31, 2018 inclusively twice a week - on Mondays and Fridays"

Due to the growth of tourist flow to autonomous republic of Adzharia (Georgia), Russian tour operators are expanding their flight programs to the region. The flow of tourists from Russia to Adzharia for the first 11 months of 2017 amounted almost 95 thousand people, while at the end of 2015 32 thousand Russian tourists arrived in the republic. The company Tez Tour reported on the launch of the program from Moscow to Batumi since June 8, 2018.

“More than 1.3 million Russians visited Georgia in January-November 2017, which is 33.4% more than in the same period in 2016 (when 980 thousand Russian tourists visited the country)”, - according to statistics published on the website of Georgian National Tourism Administration. Russia took the third line in the list of guests of Georgia for 11 months of 2017, after Azerbaijan (1.6 million tourists) and Armenia (1.5 million tourists). In January-November this year the number of international arrivals to Georgia amounted about 7 million, it is an increase by 18.4% against the same period of the last year. Only in November the number of Russians who visited Georgia increased by 35.5%.

“In January-August 2017 955,500 Russian citizens visited Georgia, which is 34% more than in the same period of 2016”, - informed the Georgian Interior Ministry's information and analytical department. In August, the number of visitors from Russia increased by 27.8% in comparison with August of the previous year - up to 229.3 thousand people.

“In January-May 2017, 371.1 thousand Russian citizens visited Georgia, which is 22.2% more than in the same period of 2016”, - said the Georgian Interior Ministry's information and analytical department. According to the ministry, in May the number of guests from Russian Federation increased by 14.5% in comparison with April and by 16.8% against May of the previous year - up to 99 thousand people.

“In January-April 2017, Georgia was visited by 272.1 thousand citizens of Russia, which is 24.2% more than in the same period of 2016”, - informed the Information and Analytical Department of Georgian Interior Ministry. According to the Ministry, in April the number of guests from Russian Federation increased by 16.5% (86.5 thousand people) in comparison with April of the last year.

S7 Airlines will start flights from Novosibirsk to Tbilisi on April 29, 2017, the carrier's press service reported. Flights will be carried out on Saturdays. Departure from Tolmachevo airport is at 8:50, arriving is at 10:45 of the local time. The return flight departs from Tbilisi airport at 11:45 and arrives in Novosibirsk at 19:25. Flights will be performed by Airbus A320, equipped with salons of economic and business class.

“In January-February 2017 Georgia was visited by 118.8 thousand Russian citizens, which is 35.9% more than in the same period of the last year”, - it was said in the information-analytical department of the Georgian Interior Ministry on Thursday. In February, the number of Russians, who visited Georgia, has increased compared to February 2016 by 31.6% - up to 56.7 thousand people, which was a record figure for the last 10 years.

AVIAREPS, the company representing tourism, aviation and hospitality organisations, has expanded its international market presence with the opening of an office in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku. The new office is responsible for conducting General Sales Agent (GSA), marketing, PR and trade promotion activities for airlines, destinations, tourism services and other representative activities for both the markets of Azerbaijan and neighbouring Georgia.

“Georgia was visited by 62,100 citizens of Russia in January 2017, which was a record figure for the last 10 years”, - according to the information-analytical department of the Georgian Interior Ministry. According to the ministry, the number of Russians who visited the country in the first month of this year, increased by 40.3% against January 2016.

In 2016 Georgia was visited by 1 million 37 thousand Russians, which is more than 100 thousand against 2015 - according to TASS information referring to the administration of the Republic of tourism. Russia takes the fourth place among the countries, whose citizens visited Georgia. On the first place by this indicator is Azerbaijan (1 million 523 thousand), on the second is Armenia (1.496 million), then - Turkey (1 million 254 thousand). According to experts, the increase of the number of trips to Georgia of Russian citizens, including tourists - is the result of easing tensions between the two countries in the last four years and expansion of cooperation in trade, economy, culture and tourism.

“In January-November 2016 Georgia was visited by 980.8 thousand Russian citizens, which is 13.1% more than in the same period of the last year”, - according to the data of the information-analytical department of the Georgian Interior Ministry. In November 2016 the number of visitors from Russia increased by 9.8% against November 2015 – up to 60.6 thousand people.

“In connection with the increased flow of Russian tourists to Georgia, the Russian Federation Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns about the risks which are associated with the trips of Russians to this country”, - reported Rosturizm. Under conditions of absence of diplomatic relations, broken by the Georgian side in 2008, the possibility of consular and legal protection of Russians in Georgia is extremely limited.

“In January - October 2016 Georgia was visited by 920 200 citizens of Russia, which is 13.4% more than in the same period of the last year”, - said in the information-analytical department of the Interior Ministry on Wednesday.

“For the period January-September 2016 Georgia was visited by 832 thousand Russian citizens, which is 13.4% more than in the same period of 2015”, - said the Information and Analytical Department of the Georgian Interior Ministry on Monday.

Moscow and Tbilisi are discussing simplification of the visa regime between the two countries, Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday, adding that the work continues. "Speaking about simplification of the visa regime with Georgia, the discussion is under way despite the fact that Tbilisi initiated severing of diplomatic relations.

Next week, Tbilisi expects the Russian delegation headed by the director of department of state policy in the field of Civil Aviation of Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation Svetlana Petrova, to discuss the possibility of increasing the frequency of flights between the two countries.