The FINANCIAL — Hotel owners in Gudauri, the most popular ski resort in Georgia, are raising prices on hotel accommodation due to increased numbers of tourists from Ukraine and Israel.
There are 3,260 beds in Bakuriani. The number is 809 in Gudauri and 952 in Mestia, Svaneti, both ski resorts prised by the famous Italian skier Albert Tomba.
In the previous year in Gudauri the total number of hotels, guest houses and sports schools was 16, according to Tourism Center data. According to the official Gudauri webpage however, for the new season 17 hotels have been prepared in order to adequately accommodate tourists.
“It is expected that by the end of the winter season Georgia will have hosted another 1.5 million tourists,” said Giorgi Sigua, Head of Administration at the Georgian National Tourism Administration.
“For the 2012-2013 season we hosted 19,343 people. We mostly have foreign tourists. All rooms are pre-booked for the period from 30 December until 8 January. More and more tourists are expected this year because there is annual growth of tourists in our business. Our hotel prices have increased by 18%. A standard two-person room costs GEL 413 for this season,” Irakli Mamporia, Sales Director of Marco Polo Hotel, told The FINANCIAL.
“The price increase this year has been 10%. In our hotel a standard two-person room costs EUR 150. All rooms are fully booked for the New Year,” Mariam Khutsishvili, General Manager of Carpe Diem, told The FINANCIAL.
“There has been no increase in prices in Bakuriani. The price range is from GEL 60 up to USD 200. Most of our guests are Georgian. The greatest numbers of foreigners are from Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Russia,” Otar Gociridze, Director of Apollon Hotel, told The FINANCIAL.
“No new hotels have been built in Bakuriani in 2013. However, the construction of 6 hotel-type institutions is currently in progress. They will be able to host 600-700 extra people when completed,” Qetevan Berozashvili, Economy and Infrastructure Development, Tourism Division, told The FINANCIAL.
In 2012, for the winter season in the Kazbegi Municipality, hotel-type institutions hosted 25,109 foreign tourists, 6% more than in the previous year. The Mestia Municipality welcomed 10,225 foreign tourists; a decrease of 3% compared to the previous year. Borjomi Municipality hosted 8,467 foreign tourists, showing a 5% increase from the previous year, according to Geostat data.
The Municipality of Borjomi is more popular with Georgians. In 2012 the number of Georgians in Borjomi was 29,737.
The largest numbers of tourists in Borjomi are from Israel. The number of Israeli tourists in Bakuriani was 4,501 in 2012, an increase of 15% compared to 2011’s data.
The Municipality of Kazbegi is popular with Ukrainian tourists. Their number in 2012 was 10,212, which is 338% higher than it was in 2011, according to Geostat data.
“Our hotel prices have increased by 18%. A standard two-person room costs GEL 413 for this season. All rooms are pre-booked from 30 December until 8 January. More and more tourists are expected this year because there is annual growth of tourists,” said Irakli Mamporia, Sales Director of Marco Polo Hotel.
“The price increase for this year is 10%. In our hotel a standard two-person room costs EUR 150. All rooms are already reserved for the New Year,” said Mariam Khutsishvili, General Manager of Carpe Diem.
“The construction of 6 hotel-type institutions is currently in progress. They will host 600-700 people,” said Qetevan Berozashvili, Economy and Infrastructure Development, Tourism Division.
“There has been no increase in prices in Bakuriani. The price range is from GEL 60 up to USD 200,” said Otar Gotsiridze, Director of Apollon Hotel. The Municipality of Kazbegi is popular with Ukrainian tourists mostly. Their number in 2012 was 338% higher than it was in 2011.
Gudauri is a ski resort located on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range in Georgia. The resort is situated in the Stepantsminda District, along the Georgian Military Highway near the Cross Pass, at an elevation of 2,196 meters (7,200 ft.) above sea level. Gudauri lies 120 km (75 miles) to the north of the capital Tbilisi. The trip from Tbilisi to Gudauri usually takes two hours by car. The resort offers high quality skiing opportunities. The slopes of Gudauri are completely above the tree line and are best for free-riders and are generally considered to be avalanche-safe. The ski season lasts from December to April. Heliskiing is also available throughout the season.
Heliskiing provides skiers with access to some of the finest powder-snow in the Caucasus. With helicopters granted almost unrestricted access to local mountains, skiers can experience some of the most sublime runs in Europe – at altitudes between 1,500 and 4,200 meters above sea level. The helicopters drop clients off on mountain tops, glaciers, fabulous ridges, and in the hands of highly experienced guides.
Gudauri contains several routes and lifts. The first, lower lift station is at 1,990 m above sea level and the last, top station is at 3,306 m, called Sadzele. The lifts are by Doppelmayr. The first lift is 1,010 m long (three chairs), the second is 2,310 m long (four chairs) and the third is 1,060 m long (three chairs). The lift usually works from 10:00 to 16-17:00.
Bakuriani is a ski resort in the Borjomi district of Georgia. It is located on the northern slope of the Trialeti Range, at an elevation of 1,700 meters (5,576 feet) above sea level.
The region around Bakuriani is covered by coniferous forests (mainly made up of spruce). The resort lies 30 km (19 mi) from Borjomi and is located within the so-called Bakuriani Depression/caldera. The highest mountain of the resort used for skiing is called Mount Kohta at around 2,200 meters (7,216 feet) above sea level.
Mestia Municipality is located in the upper outfall of the river Enguri basin. Its hipsometrial height varies from 800 to 3,600 meters. The territory contains 3044.5 square km, which is 4.4% of the territory of Georgia.
One can get to Mestia by airplane. The cost of a two way ticket is GEL 150. The price of a one way ticket is GEL 75. Flights run on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
In Bakuriani there are 5 ski tracks: Didveli (difficult), Kokhta (difficult), Tatra (difficult), 25 (beginners) and Park (Medium). They work every day. Working hours are from 10:00-16:00. The prices of tickets are GEL 3 for a one-time ticket. Rental of skis and snowboards is as follows: 1 hour – GEL 5, full day – GEL 15.
In Gudauri there are more than 20 ski tracks. Some of them are: Pirveli (beginners), Soliko (medium, difficult), 2.3 (medium, difficult), Sadzele (medium, difficult), Gudaura (medium, difficult), Kudebi (difficult) and Zuma (beginners). They work every day. Working hours are Monday – Friday 10:00 – 16:00, Saturday – Sunday 10:00 – 17:00. Rental of skis and snowboards: Full day from GEL 20 to 40. One-time tickets cost GEL 5. Seasonal passes for children cost GEL 300 and for adults – GEL 500.
In Mestia there are 4 ski tracks: Red (difficult), Blue (medium), Sport (medium) and Beginners. They work every day. Working hours are from 10:00-18:00. The prices of tickets are GEL 3 for a one-time ticket. Rental of skis and snowboards for a full day are GEL 20. Seasonal passes for children cost GEL 698 and for adults – GEL 700.
Discussion about this post