Tour operators did not see a mass refusal of Russians to travel to Georgia.

Calls to boycott Georgian resorts after the conflict with a Russian-speaking tourist in Kakheti did not lead to a noticeable outflow of tourists: neither tour operators nor travel agents are recording a systematic decline in demand for trips to Georgia.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", the attack by a resident of Georgia, Giorgi Chigladze, on a Russian-speaking tourist caused a stir on social media. The friend of the victim claims that the conflict arose due to the Russian language. A march took place in Tbilisi, where participants expressed support for Chigladze, and the court released him on bail. Georgian media reported that the victim holds citizenship of Russia and Turkey. The victim herself stated that they did not provoke the wedding participants. Isolated conflicts involving Russian-speaking tourists are not capable of affecting the tourist flow to Georgia, which has remained a popular destination for many years, analysts surveyed by the “Caucasian Knot” stated.

After the incident with Russian-speaking tourists in Telavi, residents of Russia began to call on social media to refuse trips to Georgia and to “hit the tourism industry with the ruble.” However, until the high-profile incident, the tourist flow from Russia was only increasing: in the first half of the year, Russian citizens made more than 610.8 thousand visits to Georgia, which is 5.1% more than in the same period of 2025, reported “Interfax” on July 29, citing data from the National Tourism Administration of Georgia.

“I was in Georgia for New Year from late December 2025 to early January 2026. When we arrived in Georgia, I was shocked because a young customs officer demonstratively refused to speak to me in Russian. I do not believe that a customs specialist did not know Russian. (...) When in the store, adult women, my peers, who are from the Soviet Union, pretended not to know Russian, that was already too much. And I, upon returning to Moscow, honestly told my family that, friends, we are not going to Georgia anymore. I definitely will not go there again, and I do not recommend going there. I support the boycott of Georgia,” said a Russian woman in a video published on July 28 by the JAMnews Georgian page on Facebook.*

“Some travel agents have already stopped accepting requests for organizing trips to Georgia, offering clients Armenia or domestic tourism as alternatives,” wrote the Telegram channel Baza on July 24.

The channel also claimed that “hundreds of Russians” are refusing already planned independent trips, but did not provide any specific figures or names of travel agencies that supported the boycott.

One social media user, whose video spread on Facebook* on July 25, introduced herself as a travel agent. “I am a travel agent, and I am canceling Georgia. Not a single tour sold in this direction (...) I am not going to send my tourists to a place where open Russophobia is demonstrated. I will only sell those countries where Russians are welcomed, valued, and guaranteed safety,” she stated. Although the woman in the recording spoke only for herself, the video spread with the caption “Russian tour operators refuse to send tourists to Georgia due to Russophobia.”

The Russian Union of Travel Industry did not confirm data on mass cancellations of tourist trips to Georgia. “It is premature to talk about a mass refusal of Russians to travel to Georgia or about a formed trend towards a boycott. According to our information, tour operators and travel agencies do not record a systematic decline in demand for the destination. There may be individual cases of cancellations or inquiries from tourists concerned about the news background, but they do not allow us to speak of a stable market change,” RST quoted “Interfax.”

The union also has no data confirming that agencies are massively stopping sales of tours to Georgia or deliberately redirecting clients to Armenia and domestic destinations. “In each specific case, agencies offer alternatives based on the wishes of the tourist and their attitude towards the situation, but this is a normal practice of working with clients, not a sign of an established market trend,” emphasized RST.

High-profile incidents may temporarily influence travelers' sentiments, but the incident has not yet led to a noticeable decrease in tourist flow, the union noted.

Market participants also do not question the safety of the destination for Russian tourists. “Such situations are extremely rare, isolated cases. Problems with our tourists can occur at other resorts, and this does not lead to recommendations not to go there,” said Arthur Muradyan, vice president of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia.

He acknowledged that “part of Georgian society has prejudices against Russians,” but so far this does not reflect on the mass tourist, and conflicts are not always related to nationality. A significant portion of Georgia's budget is formed by the tourist flow, and Russia is the largest “donor” in this regard, so the country's authorities will not sever these ties, Muradyan believes, whose words are reported by NSN.

The expert also called Georgia an accessible destination: the price of a week-long trip for two with airfare starts from 100,000 rubles, on the Black Sea coast - from 110-116 thousand, which is comparable to prices in Armenia and Uzbekistan.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that on July 11 in Tbilisi, participants of a memorial event for fighters killed in combat actions in Ukraine held a march near the parliament building. A conflict occurred between the march participants and a group of tourists that took place. Georgian media stated that the tourists were from Russia. The incident caused a stir on social media. Commentators debated its causes. Some users believed that the tourists merely responded to the aggression of the demonstrators, while others claimed that it was their behavior that caused the incident.