Georgia: Record tourism meets two-year political standoff

Two years have passed since the contested parliamentary elections in Georgia.

On 26 October 2024, Georgian voters went to the polls, a decision that ignited a domestic crisis. Protests began two days later and intensified on 28 November 2024, when the government declared it would not place the opening of EU negotiations on its agenda before the end of 2028. The Georgian Dream party, which has held power since 2012, remains the primary target of demonstrators. Critics accuse the ultraconservative administration of increasing authoritarianism and steering the nation toward Moscow after it suspended EU accession talks, despite Georgia receiving candidate status in 2023.

Weekend demonstrations continue in Tbilisi. Crowds gather in Avlabari Square within the Armenian quarter, chant slogans against Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s government, and march toward parliament via the Bridge of Love and Freedom Square.

Economic data presents a contrasting picture. The Georgian National Tourism Administration reported that the country received more than 5.5 million international tourist visits in 2025. This figure represents an 8.4% increase over 2024 and is nearly ten times the roughly 560,000 visitors recorded two decades ago. Travelers arrive from Europe, the Middle East, and large numbers from Russia. The influx has fueled growth, with the country’s GDP rising by 7.5% in 2025, marking five consecutive years of expansion.

The presence of Russian visitors and residents complicates the domestic mood. After the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, tens of thousands of Russian citizens moved to Georgia. They brought capital and opened businesses, exerting pressure on the property market as they purchased homes across the country. Many Georgians, who recall the wars against Russian-backed separatists in South Ossetia and Abkhazia in the early 1990s and the 2008 war, continue to view Russia as an occupying power.

Geography and history shape this dynamic. Georgia is a republic of fewer than 4 million people, roughly the size of Ireland, and sits between Russia and Turkey. It emerged from the Soviet Union in 1991. The country offers mountain villages along the Georgian Military Road, ancient Orthodox churches, and the cosmopolitan capital of Tbilisi. The city’s Rustaveli theatre, renovated twenty years ago by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, stands as a symbol of national independence. Ivanishvili, now in his 70s, made his fortune in Russia during the 1990s and served as prime minister from 2012 to 2013.

Diplomatic and economic ties with Moscow remain contradictory. Diplomatic relations were severed after the 2008 conflict and Russia’s consolidation of military control over Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which account for approximately 20% of Georgian territory. Yet Moscow remains a key economic partner. Trade, tourism, remittances, and energy imports support the Georgian economy, which still faces unemployment, low wages, and rural depopulation despite recent growth.

Relations with Brussels have deteriorated recently. The EU has criticized the Georgian government’s record on the rule of law and political repression. The situation in the region reflects wider geopolitical tensions, with some believing a stronger Moscow in the Ukraine war could increase its pressure on the Caucasus. The country now balances a record influx of visitors with a deepening domestic divide.