Georgia (Country) Named 2026’s Must-See Destination—Top 9 Adventures You Should Book Now

Tbilisi—Georgia is stepping onto the global center stage in early-2026 as a fast-growing tourism and logistics hub, buoyed by record visitor inflows and fresh investment pledges unveiled at the World Governments Summit in Dubai. Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili told delegates that the South Caucasus nation welcomed an all-time-high 7.2 million international arrivals in 2025, generating US $4.9 billion in revenue—a 19 percent jump year-on-year and a figure the government says will climb again this year thanks to visa-free entry for 98 countries and an expanded network of low-cost flights. Tourism’s momentum is feeding directly into Georgia’s broader economy. Investment bank Galt & Taggart projects real GDP to grow 6 percent in 2026, outpacing most of Eastern Europe on the back of sustained hard-currency inflows from hospitality, remittances, and IT outsourcing. The Asian Development Bank and the United Nations echo the bullish outlook, citing a stabilizing lari and inflation easing toward the National Bank’s 3 percent target. At the heart of Tbilisi’s pitch to investors is the so-called Middle Corridor: a multimodal freight route linking China to Europe via the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan, and Georgia’s Black Sea ports. Officials in Dubai showcased a US $2.3 billion plan to deepen Anaklia port, double container capacity at Poti, and fast-track a new Baku–Tbilisi–Kars rail bypass, moves that analysts say could cut Asia-Europe transit times to 15 days and turn Georgia into a regional distribution center. Domestically, the government has upgraded its investment code, offering 0 percent corporate tax on reinvested profits and streamlined e-residency schemes aimed at digital nomads. “Our liberal model positions tourism as a strategic pillar alongside logistics and renewable energy,” Garibashvili stressed at a joint briefing with UN WTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili in Tbilisi, noting that 31 percent of FDI in 2025 flowed into hotel and leisure projects. Yet the boom brings challenges. Airports of Georgia reports that Tbilisi International is already operating at 107 percent of designed capacity, prompting a public-private tender for a second runway and a new low-cost terminal set to open in 2027. Environmental NGOs are urging stricter controls on mountain resort construction in Svaneti and Adjara to protect fragile alpine and coastal ecosystems. For travelers, the headline draw this spring is the reopening of the 12th-century Gelati Monastery after a three-year UNESCO-supervised restoration, coinciding with Kutaisi Airport’s launch of direct flights from Paris and Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, digital-nomad visas—granted within 24 hours and valid for one year—continue to lure remote workers seeking fiber-optic internet at under US $15 per month and flat tax rates of 1 percent on turnover. With record tourism receipts, a strategic freight corridor, and pro-business reforms converging, Georgia is rapidly shedding its “hidden gem” label and emerging as one of Eurasia’s most dynamic small economies—a trajectory global investors and adventure travelers alike will be watching closely in 2026.