The Russians told how to get to Georgia cheaper: “The price of an air ticket is exorbitant!”

Even before the opening of direct flights, Russian tourists became leaders in the number of trips to Georgia at the beginning of this year. “In January-March 2023, 256.8 thousand citizens of Russia visited Georgia,” the country’s National Tourism Administration says. The indicator is 3.5 times higher than the value of the first quarter of 2022.

On May 25, General Director of the Georgian airline Georgian Airways, Tamaz Gaiashvili, complained about the low congestion of flights between Tbilisi and Moscow. Recall that this Georgian airline resumed flights on the Tbilisi-Moscow-Tbilisi route on May 20. They are performed daily. “So far, only two or three flights have been completed. The workload is about 40%. Expectations were different,” he said.

His words caused a flurry of indignation. “For occupancy, the prices must be reasonable,” businessman David expressed the general opinion. – I’m for tickets Moscow-Krasnoyarsk about 5000-7000 rubles. I give. And here it is less time to fly, and the price is fire!

“Last year, even despite the absence of direct flights, over 800,000 of our compatriots visited Georgia through land borders and connecting flights through Minsk, Yerevan, Baku and other cities for various purposes, this is not only tourism,” Vice-Chairman told MK. President of the Russian Union of Travel Industry (PCT) Dmitry Gorin. – This year, taking into account the opening of direct air traffic, the popularity of Georgia among our tourists is definitely growing. The only thing holding back the flow of tourists so far is the high cost of air tickets.

One-way flight Moscow-Tbilisi now costs more than 30,000 rubles. And connecting flights – 35,000 rubles. back and forth, so that they have not lost their relevance.

“Tourists are actively interested in package tours to Georgia, which are not yet available,” a Russian travel agency told us. – We can arrange individual tours, but it turns out to be too expensive. Therefore, most are waiting for package. There is demand, but no supply…

A resident of Yekaterinburg, Marina has long been fascinated by Georgia. He is going to fly there with his family this summer as well.

– I have been to Georgia eight times, I know this country very well. I visited many cities, – Marina told us. – I go there on vacation, I was alone, and with friends, and with my family. There was no direct connection for four years, it was closed in July 2019. That is, until 2019 we flew direct flights, and after 2019 – through Yerevan or by car from Vladikavkaz. We are planning for this July.

There are no direct flights from Yekaterinburg, only from Moscow. We looked at the price tag, one goes 68,000 rubles. from Moscow to Tbilisi and back. For us it is expensive. We look forward to introducing direct lines as well! For now, we will travel via Vladikavkaz, as in 2022, it is much cheaper.

– And what is the budget for your trip?

– For a family of three (my husband and I and a child) – 250,000 rubles. For two weeks. Direct flight Yekaterinburg-Vladikavkaz-Yekaterinburg – approximately 22,000 per person. Transfer from Vladikavkaz to Tbilisi – 3,000 rubles per person. Tbilisi-Batumi train – 1,500 rubles per person. The cost of a room for three in a hotel is 4,000–5,000 rubles. per day.

We are planning Tbilisi first, then Kvariati (a village near Batumi, near the border with Turkey). A room in Kvariati without meals for two adults and a child starts from 4,000 rubles per day. Excellent hosts, restaurant, swimming pools, transfer to the sea.

– Aren’t you afraid of a warm, to put it mildly, reception of the locals?

– I was there in 2019, just during the unrest, after which direct flights were canceled. And even then the tourists were comfortable. No “crooked looks”, or, as they say somewhere, that the locals refuse to speak Russian – this is not true, this has never happened before. The attitude towards tourists is good, absolutely strangers offer help on the street, call a taxi, show the way, distribute Wi-Fi and just talk. But still, it’s better not to start talking about politics and NWO, so everyone will be calmer.

Anton, a resident of the Moscow region, said that he flies there “two or three” times a year, and usually for the whole summer. Already bought a home there.

“We will fly through Armenia in the summer, we bought tickets even before the opening of direct flights, it turns out cheaper,” says Anton. – The ticket cost 11,000 rubles. there, bought in March. Haven’t bought back yet. And we will have a rest in Armenia.

There is a train from Armenia, you can go to Tbilisi, you can go to Batumi. Or minibuses, taxis. The cheapest way is to fly to Vladikavkaz, and from there by car to Tbilisi.

Anton noted the negative changes in Georgia: prices have risen, especially for rent. “The more relocators, the greater the discontent of the locals. Not all visitors behave decently, it is unpleasant,” he added.

We found out prices for tourists in the Georgian resort of Kobuleti.

“Tourists from Russia have been vacationing with me for a long time, since 2010,” Georgy, the owner of the guest house, told us. – For the time being, the season is just beginning, and it is not clear how many tourists will come and from where. Last year, after the pandemic, the season was not bad for us.

In Kobuleti, mostly locals, Armenians, Russians, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Azerbaijanis rest. A double room in June costs 40 GEL (1200 rubles, 1 GEL – 30 rubles), July and August – 60 GEL, September – 50 GEL. We have a small town, located along the sea, there is a promenade about 10 kilometers away. Many attractions – a fortress, a nature reserve, medieval arched bridges, a park …

We are also looking at prices. The well-known travel portal offers a nine-day guided tour program “Across Georgia” for 78,400 rubles. from a person. At the same time, the cost of air tickets is not included there, people get to Tbilisi on their own. Just as the transfer from Tbilisi airport to Batumi airport (back) is not included, and you also need to pay extra for lunches and dinners (7,000–9,000 rubles per person for the entire trip). So the trip will be truly “golden”.