EU and UK visits hit 249,201 while the Middle East markets fell

EU and UK visits reached a record 249,201 in the first half, up 23.4%, with 26 of the 27 EU member states growing. Germany was up 21%, France 28% and Poland 10.1%. Receipts from those markets rose 21.2%, or 58.6 million dollars, to a record 335.7 million — the largest absolute gain of any source market. Ukrainian visits were up 23% on TBC Capital's figures, and Chinese visits reached 54,554, up 16.7%.

Israeli visits fell 14.4% and Israeli revenue dropped 7.8%, from 242 million dollars to 223 million. Saudi revenue fell 37.3%, from 39 million to 24 million. Iranian revenue fell roughly 65% to just under 20 million, with visitors down 49% to 29,397. The cause given is conflict in the Middle East disrupting air travel. In September, expanded US sanctions hit Iranian carriers including five that fly to Georgia, and the Civil Aviation Agency said it would comply, which may narrow those links further.

The analysis gathers accounts from the ground rather than only statistics. Large branded hotels tracked by TBC Capital averaged 58% occupancy, four points better than a year earlier, with the average daily rate up 7% to 134 dollars. A winery village in Kvareli reported summer occupancy down four to five percent and thinner traffic through its restaurant and tastings, especially from Israeli guests. Guesthouses in Mestia had fewer foreign guests and more domestic ones, who stay for shorter periods.

Galt and Taggart expects low single-digit growth in international tourist arrivals this year and has trimmed its 2026 tourism revenue forecast from 5 billion dollars to 4.9 billion, citing regional tension while noting stronger arrivals from the EU, China and Russia. A TBC Capital analyst quoted in the piece makes the practical point: a diversified market lets one shock be offset elsewhere. For an operator, that argues for listings, menus and pricing that work for a German or Polish couple as readily as for a Gulf family.