Abkhazia–Russia Relations
Abkhazian Cinema Fund head apologises for ‘provocative statements’ to Russian tourists
Aleksander Basariya’s public apology follows the firing of a Tourism Ministry employee for making similar comments in June.
Tourism
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Abkhazia–Russia Relations
Russia cancels recommendations against tourism to Abkhazia
The travel advisory had been in effect since November 2024, following the protests in Abkhazia that ousted former President Aslan Bzhaniya.
Abkhazia
Russia warns tourists about travel to Abkhazia
The Russian Foreign Ministry has said they have been forced to warn their citizens about the ‘risk’ of travelling to Abkhazia, after a man convicted of raping a Russian tourist in 2019 was released from prison. In a statement published online on 16 February, the ministry condemned what it said was a ‘lenient attitude’ by the Abkhazian courts. Edgar Abukhba was convicted in 2021 of attacking and raping a Russian woman in Sukhumi (Sukhum) in July 2019, when he was 17 years old. He was origi
Abkhazia
Abkhazian Interior Minister orders police to stop extorting tourists
Abkhazia’s Interior Minister Robert Kiut has ordered police not to stop cars with Russian license plates in order to extract bribes. Speaking at a meeting of the state traffic inspectorate in Gudauta on 27 June, he said Russian cars should not be stopped without a ‘valid reason’. Kiut said that as tourists go through ‘all manner of checks’ at the border, they would not need to be subjected to spot-checks once within Abkhazia. Tourists entering Abkhazia from Russia have their documents
Georgia
14 people convicted over Tbilisi tourist bar scam
Tbilisi City Court has found 14 people guilty of scamming tourists in two Tbilisi clubs. On Tuesday, the Prosecutor’s Office announced that the court had fully agreed to their motion to convict 14 people, including the owner of Tbilisi nightclubs Kalakuri and Royal, for targeting foreign nationals with fraud. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the owner of the two clubs set up a group of five individuals to run a scheme in which ‘promo girls’ contacted tourists in Tbilisi through social
Abkhazia
Is Abkhazia’s car insurance mandate driving tourists away?
As of May, all tourists driving into Abkhazia were expected to insure their cars. While this might save the government some headaches, some residents fear it could scare tourists away. Alias Abukhba, a resident of Sukhumi, had toiled and saved for two years before being able to afford the car of his dreams, an Audi A6 — which was unfortunately totalled by an intoxicated driver only three days after he bought it. ‘It was the son of an official’, recalled Abukhba. ‘To get money [in compensatio
Abkhazia
Abkhazia goes all-in for tourism in 2022
Abkhazia braces itself for a record-breaking tourist boom — but many fear that the current tourism infrastructure might buckle under the strain. The 2022 summer tourism season in Abkhazia is expected by many to be the most profitable in decades, as they brace for the projected arrival of an unprecedented wave of Russian tourists. In July 2021, the Ministry of Tourism announced a record number of tourists over the past 30 years, at around 1.5 million vacationers — more than double the number
