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The News in Brief

Thursday, July 7, 2022
Prepared by Messenger Staff

Georgia Ranks First in the Open Budget Index

The Open Budget Index ranks Georgia first in the world. The information was reported by the German Embassy in Georgia, which said in the statement that this impressive achievement of the country is the result of a number of reforms implemented in the field of public finance, such as improving medium-term planning, introducing software budgeting, increasing accountability, introducing and improving electronic public finance management systems, introducing and improving public finance management mechanisms, introducing mechanisms promoting citizen engagement, publication of budgetary documentation, preparation of citizen guides and other related measures.

According to the results of the 2021 survey of budget transparency published by the International Budget Partnership, Georgia ranked first among the 120 countries of the world by 87 points from 100 points.

“On behalf of German development cooperation, the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), together with other partners, supports the Government of Georgia in implementing reforms in the management of public finances, especially at the local level,” the German Embassy said in a statement.



National Tourism Administration – 64,1% of Tourist Visits Restored in June

The National Tourism Administration published statistical data for the month of June, according to which 445,894 international travelers visited Georgia, an increase of 185.5% compared to the same period of 2021, the recovery ratio for international travelers is 51% compared to the pre-pandemic period.

The number of international tourist visits in June was 302,602, which is + 126.7% higher than the same period last year, and tourist visits are restored by 64.1% compared to the month of June 2019.

According to the administration, in January-June 2022, 1,625,928 international travelers visited Georgia, an increase of +234.5% compared to the 6 months of 2021, and the recovery was 42.1% compared to the same period in 2019. So far in 2022, the number of international tourist visits was 1,209,272, which is +186.3% higher than the same period last year.

The Russian Federation occupies the first place in the statistics, of which 90,239 citizens entered last month, this is 503% higher than the previous year. After Russia, comes Turkey - 62,000 visitors have entered from there. The next is Armenia with 61,974 visitors, an increase compared to the previous year 365%, Israel - 20,555 visitors, an increase of 30%, and Ukraine - 15,273 visitors, an increase of 1%. The top 10 countries also include Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Uzbekistan.