5.5 Million Tourists Visit Georgia as Two-Year Political Crisis Deepens

More than 5.5 million international visitors entered Georgia in 2025, according to the Georgian National Tourism Administration. This figure represents an 8.4% increase over 2024 and stands nearly ten times higher than the approximately 560,000 visitors recorded two decades ago.

The surge in tourism coincides with the second anniversary of a political crisis that began with contested parliamentary elections on October 26, 2024. Protests erupted two days later and have continued for two years. Crowds gather in Avlabari Square in Tbilisi’s Armenian quarter every Saturday to march toward parliament, chanting against the government of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.

The demonstrations target Georgian Dream, the ruling ultraconservative party that has held power since 2012. Critics accuse the party of growing authoritarianism and of steering the country back toward Moscow by suspending EU accession talks. The government announced on November 28, 2024, that it would not place the opening of EU negotiations on its agenda before the end of 2028, despite Georgia receiving EU candidate status in 2023.

While domestic unrest persists, the economy has expanded. GDP rose by 7.5% in 2025, marking the fifth consecutive year of growth. This economic activity is driven partly by a large influx of Russian citizens. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, tens of thousands of Russians relocated to Georgia, bringing capital and opening businesses. Their presence has placed strong pressure on the property market, a factor that fuels local discontent among a population that still views Russia as an occupying power following the 2008 war.

Georgia’s geopolitical position creates complex economic and political dependencies. The country is sandwiched between Russia and Turkey, with Armenia and Azerbaijan nearby. Although diplomatic relations with Moscow were severed after the 2008 conflict, which led to Russian military control over Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Russia remains a difficult-to-replace economic partner. Trade, tourism, remittances, and energy imports from Russia support an economy that continues to struggle with unemployment, low wages, and widespread poverty in rural areas.

Tensions with Brussels have also increased recently. The European Union has criticized the Georgian government’s record on the rule of law and political repression. Analysts note that the outcome of the war in Ukraine may influence Moscow’s ability to exert pressure on the Caucasus, linking Georgia’s future to broader regional conflicts.

The capital, Tbilisi, reflects these mixed signals. It features a rich underground scene and repurposed industrial spaces that resemble 1990s Berlin, alongside historic sites like the Rustaveli theatre. The theatre was renovated twenty years ago by Bidzina Ivanishvili, the billionaire founder of Georgian Dream who served as prime minister from 2012 to 2013. Ivanishvili, now in his 70s, built his fortune in Russia during the 1990s after the Soviet collapse.