Georgian Opposition Party Demands Special Fee for Russian Citizens

Droa party initiative aimed at Russian citizens

The Georgian opposition party Droa is demanding the introduction of three-week visas and a tourist tax for Russians coming to Georgia.

The party says that tourists from Russia have low purchasing power. A large number of them spoil the tourist product in Georgia:

“Georgia is not a country of mass tourism. The industry development strategy is based on attracting wealthier visitors and developing niche tourism. Tourism infrastructure and products acceptable to Russian tourists are unacceptable to tourists arriving from the Middle East, Europe and the United States, as well as Asian countries,” the party said in a statement.

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In addition, Droa says that the uncontrolled entry of Russian tourists is fraught with special risks:

“Over the past ten years, the authorities have not identified a single agent of Russia. It is clear that many agents and provocateurs of Russia penetrate our country under the guise of tourists. Recall that the perpetrators of the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal with chemical weapons, Russian military intelligence officers Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov, were in Britain for the purpose of tourism.”

Droa argues that the Russian authorities may use the “defense of the dignity of Russian citizens” argument against Georgia.

The party sees the solution as follows:

• introduce three-week tourist visas for Russian citizens;
  
• restrict business and private property registration;
  
• restrict the right of residence;
  
• establish a tourist tax for citizens of Russia

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In particular, Droa requires that:

• on the basis of checking the foreign passport and the internal Russian passport (identity card), each citizen entering from Russia to be charged a fee of 20 lari [about $7.3] at the border;
  
• if a person has a document confirming their work in the budgetary structures of Russia, a fee of 100 lari [about $37] to be charged;
  
• a vehicle with Russian license plates that does not carry commercial cargo to be subject to a tax of 50 lari [about $18.5];
  
• vehicles of budgetary structures of Russia will be taxed in the amount of 200 lari [about $73.5];
  
• for the right to move and park in Batumi and the coastal villages of Adjara, a car with Russian numbers must have a special pass: a ticket for one day – 10 GEL, for three days – 30 GEL, for a week – 50 GEL, for two weeks – 100 GEL; instruct the patrol police to check the pass, in the absence of which the fine will be 150 lari [about $50].

The party says that money received in this way should be transferred to the “state fund”. This fund is to be used for:

• assistance to veterans of the war in Abkhazia, South Ossetia and the August war;
  
• assistance to internally displaced persons from Abkhazia and South Ossetia;
  
• assistance to citizens of Ukraine who entered Georgia after February 23, 2022.

“Based on the data for June and July 2022, the income generated as a result of this initiative could amount to at least 20 million lari [about $7.1 million] in two months,” the party says.

In the second quarter of 2022, over a million (1,094,400) visitors visited Georgia. Of these, 19.3% – 147,700 people – are Russian citizens.

Initially it was the opposition party “Lelo” that came out with a demand to introduce visas for citizens of Russia and Belarus. The party demands the introduction of temporary measures “so that the flow of people entering the territory of Georgia can be controlled.”

Droa party initiative aimed at Russian citizens