OREANDA-NEWS The restoration of air traffic between Georgia and Russia in 2023 may bring the Georgian tourism sector an additional income of $300-400 million, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy of Georgia Levan Davitashvili said at a briefing after a government meeting on Monday.

Davitashvili noted the successes achieved in the field of tourism in the post-pandemic period, and expressed hope that this year the flow of international travelers from Russia will increase even more, as well as from other countries, in particular from neighboring Azerbaijan.

The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that it would be "not pragmatic" to refuse direct flights between Russia and Georgia. He expressed hope that the population of the country will positively assess the efforts that the authorities are making to improve the country's economy.

At the same time, Davitashvili stressed that the country's course towards joining the EU remains unchanged.

On May 10, Russian President Vladimir Putin, by his decree, abolished the visa regime for Georgian citizens from May 15, 2023, with the exception of persons entering the Russian Federation for the purpose of work. According to the document, "since May 15, 2023, Georgian citizens have been entering and leaving the Russian Federation without visas on the basis of valid identity documents."

In addition, a decree was issued on lifting restrictions on flights to Georgia, which had been in effect since July 2019.