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In response to increased passenger demand during major winter events in Svaneti, the United Airports of Georgia has scheduled five additional flights between Natakhtari and Mestia.
The extra services will operate alongside regular flights from February 19 to 23, providing improved connectivity to the Mestia Queen Tamar Airport.
Svaneti will host two large-scale events in late February. The region will welcome visitors for ‘Gemo Fest’ on February 21–22, while the Freeride World Championship will take place from February 21 to 28, attracting international athletes and spectators.
The added flights will operate on the following dates:
February 19
Natakhtari – Mestia: 13:00
Mestia – Natakhtari: 14:15
Natakhtari – Mestia: 15:45
Mestia – Natakhtari: 17:15
February 20
Natakhtari – Mestia: 15:00
Mestia – Natakhtari: 16:30
February 22
Natakhtari – Mestia: 15:00
Mestia – Natakhtari: 16:30
February 23
Natakhtari – Mestia: 15:30
Mestia – Natakhtari: 17:00
Currently, regular flights between Natakhtari and Mestia operate six times per week.
The one-way fare on the Natakhtari–Mestia route is set at 90 GEL. Travel is free for children aged 0–3 while children aged 3–12 receive a 30% discount. Tickets can be purchased online through the airline’s official website.
The National Statistics Office of Georgia (Geostat) published preliminary data revealing that Georgian residents made approximately 715,100 trips abroad, a 2.5% increase compared to the same period in 2024. Travelers aged 31 to 50 made up the largest share, representing 45.1% of all trips.
Out of the total trips, 564,300 were outbound visits by Georgian visitors, showing a moderate rise of 0.4% from the previous year. Tourist-related visits reached 385,800, growing by 7.1% compared to the same quarter last year.
Nearly half (48.3%) of these outbound visits were made by people aged 31 to 50 while women comprised 46.7% of all visitors. The primary reason for travel in this period was visiting friends and relatives, making up for 34.9% of all visits.
Visitors spent an average of 6.4 nights abroad, slightly higher than the 6.3 nights recorded in the second quarter of 2024. Out of these, 98.2% of these visits were repeat trips.
Despite the increase in visits, expenditures during these trips totaled 583 million GEL which is 1.9% lower than in the second quarter of 2024. Average spending per visit decreased by 2.3%, amounting to 1,032 GEL.