11:34, 2 July 2020

Opening Georgia to foreign tourists postponed until August

Abanotubani, an ancient district of Tbilisi, Georgia, which is popular among tourists. Photo by M. Kuznetsova for the "Caucasian Knot"

Georgian authorities have postponed the opening of regular international flights by at least a month. Foreign tourists will be able to visit Georgia no earlier than August.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Georgian borders remain closed since March 18. Entrepreneurs questioned the success of the tourist season in Georgia due to the low tourist inflow. Hotel owners stated that requirements for working under the coronavirus pandemic are burdensome; and on June 29, event industry workers demanded that the self-isolation regime be relaxed.

"Most of all we want regular flights to resume, but people's health remains a priority," said Natiya Turnava, the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, as reported by the Voice of America.

Georgian authorities have explained the postponement of border opening for foreign tourists by a month by the fears that tourism could worsen the coronavirus situation in the country. At the same time, a significant part of the population, primarily workers of the tourism sector, are unhappy with this decision – borders have been closed for tourists for almost four months, which makes travel companies, hotels and restaurants "struggling for survival," the "JAMnews" has noted.

By July 1, Georgia has registered 931 COVID-19 cases; 15 patients died.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 1, 2020 at 11:58 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.