Tourism in the South Caucasus Region During the Post-Pandemic Period

This article examines the tourism sector of the South Caucasus region in the post-pandemic period. In general, due to the pandemic, the share of the tourism sector in the global GDP has decreased by more than 2 times. In the post-pandemic period, although the share of the sector in the global GDP has increased again, it lags behind the statistics of the pre-pandemic period. Surrounded by the Black Sea from the west and the Caspian Sea from the east, the South Caucasus region has a unique nature, rich historical and cultural heritage, unique gastronomy, traditions and riches that transcend national borders. The region has been heavily visited by tourists in the pre-pandemic period. During the pandemic, the number of tourists visiting the region decreased by more than 5 times, and as a result, the region's income from the tourism sector dwindled by more than 5 times. In the post-pandemic period, there is a re-increasing trend in the volume of tourists coming to the region and income from the sector. One of the main destinations of Russian tourists, who lost access to Europe, was regional countries, and as a result, there was a significant increase in the number of Russian tourists in particular. However, the main competitor of the region, especially in summer tourism, was Turkey. The number of Russian tourists who visited Turkey in the first 5 months of 2023 was twice as large as the number of Russian tourists who visited the South Caucasus region in the same period. The importance of the tourism sector is high for the countries of the region. The tourism sector is the most profitable sector for Azerbaijan after the oil sector. Georgia's income from the tourism sector makes up 1/5 of its GDP, Georgia is the country that receives the most income from this sector in the region and achieves the highest number of tourists. Although Armenia is the country with the least number of tourists in the region, in accordance with the percentage of the tourism sector in the GDP, it ranks second after Georgia. The pandemic has seriously affected the tourism sector of all 3 countries and the amount of income from this sector has decreased drastically. After the pandemic period, as a result of the relative or complete removal of the bans, the tourism sector of the countries of the region began to revive again, and the statistical indicators are already approaching the pre-pandemic indicators. Along with the easing of quarantine rules, the Russia-Ukraine war has also created changes in the region's tourism sector, and an increase in the number of tourists from Russia has been recorded compared to previous years. In addition, with the conclusion of a potential peace treaty, the tourism sector will enter a new stage and will make a significant contribution to the development of tourism in the region. With the restoration of communications and the establishment of permanent peace, the region will achieve more tourist flows.