TBILISI, October 11 – Georgia’s remote mountain regions are seeing a solid tourism comeback this year, with nearly all visitors coming from abroad, according to local operators.
“The season was quite good,” said Nino Barnabishvili, co-owner of the Khakhabo agro-tourism guesthouse in Khevsureti, one of Georgia’s most rugged and scenic highland areas bordering Chechnya.
Speaking to BPN, Barnabishvili said that around 90 percent of their guests this summer were foreign visitors, while only 10 percent were locals.
“We had more guests this year than last year. At one point it was so busy that it was hard to manage alone,” she said, adding that the share of Georgian visitors also increased compared to previous years.
The 2024 summer season drew travelers mostly from Europe and Israel, with tourists arriving from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, Slovakia, the Netherlands, the UK, and France, as well as the largest group from Israel, Barnabishvili noted.
By contrast, the Asian market, which has grown elsewhere in Georgia, remained largely absent in Khevsureti. “We had three Japanese guests this year, but one of them has been living in Georgia for years,” she said. “No other Asian visitors came.”
The National Tourism Administration of Georgia reported earlier that international visits exceeded 2.81 million in the first half of 2025, up 4.6 percent compared to the same period last year. The figures reflect steady post-pandemic growth, with mountain tourism and eco-tourism emerging as key drivers of regional economies.
Khevsureti is one of several mountain regions of Georgia sporting stone towers and alpine landscapes popular among hikers, photographers, and others seeking authentic rural experiences.
