Despite the fact that the vast majority of the approximately 120 thousand Russians who have moved to Georgia for permanent residence since March 2022 formally have the status of tourists, the income from their residence in the country will no longer be taken into account in the amount of total tourism income. The corresponding order was given by the National Bank of Georgia. The regulator refers to the need to clarify statistics, as well as compliance with the rules and regulations of the IMF.
The National Bank clarified that in the first quarter of 2023, tourism revenues amounted to $795 million, which is 100% more than in the same period of 2022. Georgia received the largest income from Russian tourists – $ 266 million. Visitors from Turkey brought $ 96.3 million, from Israel – $ 60.8 million.
As explained in the bank, this amount does not include income from citizens of the Russian Federation who have expressed a desire to permanently live in the country.
As of March 31, 35.5% of Russians confirmed their desire to stay in Georgia for more than a year. At the same time, the exact number of those who moved to Georgia for permanent residence is still unknown, Kommersant writes.
Source: Rosbalt
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