TBILISI, DFWatch – The monthly number of visitors to Georgia continues to increase. The small country noted a 54 percent growth of visitors during the first seven months of 2012, compared to the same period last year.

2 211 201 foreigners visited Georgia in this period, according to figures from the National Administration of Tourism, which is based on information provided by the Interior Ministry.

The Interior Ministry used to publish monthly reports about the number of foreign visitors to the country, but this time the task of keeping track of visitors was transferred to the tourism administration.

According to the figures, 520 707 people visited Georgian in July, 2012 – 56 percent more than in July, 2011.

Most visitors are comint from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia and Iran.

The number of visitors from Turkey has increased with 126 percent in July, 91 percent from Russia and 81 percent from Poland.

The Tourism Administration of Georgia publishes monthly statistics provided by the analysis department of the Interior Ministry, but none of the bodies have a proper system for defining which of the visitors are really tourists and which are on a business trip or just visiting the country for some other purpose.