Iranians Visiting Georgia Up 195% in March

The number of Iranian tourists who traveled to Georgia in March saw a staggering 195% increase compared to the same period of the previous year.

Based on figures released by the Georgia National Tourism Administration on their website (Gnat.ge), 40,237 Iranians traveled to the Eurasian country last month, up from 13,651 in March 2016.

Iranians, who accounted for 7.9% of foreign tourists to Georgia last month, enjoyed a two-week Norouz (Iranian New Year) holidays (March 21-April 2), which helped boost the figures.

Tourism to Georgia from Iran has been increasing ever since the two countries reestablished bilateral visa-free travel in 2015.

Georgia has also benefited from Turkey’s tarnished image, as Iranian tour operators have been promoting Georgia as an alternative to the terror-hit country.

Turkey, which has been the most popular foreign destination for Iranians, is struggling with terrorism for more than two years, which has taken a toll on its image.

Iranian officials reported a 30% decline in the number of charter flights to Turkey during the Norouz holidays.

Iranian tourism to Georgia registered substantial monthly increases in the last Iranian year. In January, tourism was up 617% while February saw a 321% increase.