Tourist flow to Abkhazia grew by 15% in October and may reach two million by year's end

Over the nine months of 2026, about 1.74 million tourists visited Abkhazia. Tourism Minister Astamur Logua suggested the figure could grow to two million by the end of the year, linking the increase in flow in part to the expansion of air service: Sukhum airport served more than 153 thousand passengers over nine months.

Aziz KarimovFirst published on tafs uz 5 November 2026 at 16:482 min read

The key facts

From January to September 2026, about 1.74 million tourists visited Abkhazia; in October the flow grew 15% year-on-year
Tourism Minister Astamur Logua suggested the two million tourist mark could be reached by year's end
Sukhum airport served more than 153 thousand passengers over nine months; autumn bookings grew by 19–25%

Growth in visitor flow and the minister's forecast

From January to September 2026, about 1.74 million tourists visited Abkhazia, and in October the flow grew by 15% compared with the same month last year. The republic's Tourism Minister Astamur Logua, in an interview with VFocus Mail, suggested, that by the end of the year the tourist flow could reach two million people. According to the ministry, the number of autumn bookings with tour operators increased by 19–25%.

Air service and hotel stock

Logua cited the expansion of air service as one of the growth factors: over nine months, Sukhum airport served more than 153 thousand passengers, and new flights, according to the minister, helped attract guests from remote regions of Russia. The assessment of the hotel stock remains restrained: in Logua's view, about 70–75% of Abkhazia's hotels meet the three-star level, while four- and five-star hotels are still few. The minister believes that three-star hotels can attract guests through the quality of service.

Context of prices at other destinations

Earlier, Life.ru wrote, citing data from the Turkish statistical institute, that in August accommodation and food in Turkey rose in price by 27.53% year-on-year, and that Turkey will likely remain an expensive destination for Russian tourists in 2027 as well, due to high inflation and the restrained lira exchange rate. The publication about the tourist flow to Abkhazia itself does not directly link these two facts, so it is impossible to speak of a redistribution of flow between destinations on the basis of these reports.