The flow of Russian tourists to Georgia decreased

According to the National Tourism Administration of the country, Georgia in September was visited by 147,4 thousand tourists from Russia, which is 20,6% less than a year earlier. 
Nevertheless, according to the Administration, the Russians retained their leadership in the number of foreign guests who visited the Republic, the total number of which in the first month of autumn amounted to 974 thousand people, which is 2,8% more than a year earlier. 
In total, in January-September of this year, 7,2 million foreign citizens visited Georgia, which is 6,6% more than in the same period in 2018. The number of citizens of the Russian Federation amounted to 1,2 million people, which is 7,7% less than in January-September last year. 
Earlier it was expected that in the summer and before the end of the year, about 1 million Russian tourists will visit the country. However, while in June the number of Russians, who visited Georgia, increased by 30,8% compared to June 2018 (152,2 thousand people), in the next three months their number is constantly decreasing. 
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said he considers that it is necessary to conduct a dialogue with Russia on all problematic and painful issues, which have accumulated in bilateral relations. 
In 2018, Georgia was visited by a record number of foreign visitors – 8,7 million people, which is 14,9% more than in 2017.