I flew to Tbilisi on Friday on an Azimuth Superjet – this is the first flight of the resumed air service. The next day, Georgian Airways Boeings flew. In June, the geography of flights will expand, the Red Wings company will begin to operate flights from Sochi to Tbilisi and from Moscow to Kutaisi.
Yes, the emotions are over the edge now. But the game is worth the effort, for a tourist Georgia, if not with honey, then with churchkhela, is certainly smeared and filled with wine. It’s cool, fun, colorful. And everyone writes to me and writes: “Are you sure they don’t beat you there?” I answer: we are not beaten in Georgia. And in general, not everything in life is so scary as on the TV screen.
I recently visited the airports of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Israel, Turkey, Serbia. And, of course, in Russian. Thus, Tbilisi airport is now number 1 for me in terms of border control comfort. We crossed the border very quickly. The beautiful border guard did not even ask about the purpose of the visit: she just smiled, loudly stamped her passport and – welcome to Georgia! Nothing, but nice. All in all a good start.
So, the passengers of the first flight from Moscow got to the airport. And there, we were greeted by demonstrators? And again no. Not them. We were greeted (and very professionally guarded) by Georgian police. Who did everything to separate the radicals from the passengers.
In fact, for us, the guests, a “psychological comfort corridor” has been organized: you go in the direction that the police show you, and… As if you were transferred to another world. The police only allowed Georgian journalists into the arrivals hall. But we Russians weren’t particularly interesting to them: the press surrounded Georgian politicians flying on the same flight. It’s even too tight, and the interviews were taken out loud, we don’t scream so heartbreaking on our top-rated TV shows. It looks a little more, and the fight will begin. But that doesn’t happen (a bit later, a Georgian friend will tell me: don’t take it too seriously, we always talk like that!).
But it costs a bit, just a few dozen steps, to get away from the cameras – and there’s the usual airport life. People lazily drink coffee, replenish cards at bank terminals, slowly buy souvenirs, sit “on their phones.” Peace and tranquility. In general, where there are no cameras, there is normal life.
The people of Tbilisi, having learned that you are coming from the first flight from Moscow, begin to apologize: “Listen, we are ashamed! Real Georgians do not welcome guests like that”
I did not go in the direction indicated by the police, but I advanced towards the demonstrators. There are shouts (but only in Georgian), a girl with a banner: “You are not welcome”. I mean, we’re not welcome here. Shouts in Georgian – understandable. If they shouted in Russian, that would also be logical: after all, they are protesting against a flight from Moscow. Why write something in English? Mother tongue of event sponsors?
And then something strange happened. Maybe something was written on my face, but the crowd parted, letting me into their ranks. Specifically, for ranks. And there, after a few steps… And there again nothing happens.
About “if they beat us”. It’s not that they didn’t beat me, they didn’t even push me. Although it is perfectly clear that he is Russian and that he is a tourist. And this was from the first flight from Moscow, because at that time there were no others.
Suddenly, I see: an elderly Georgian woman calls me with a gesture. I approached, it turned out that the woman asked for help to overcome the sidewalk. The most difficult, leaning on a cane, always a heavy bag. I hold out my hand, we exchange a few sentences. “From Moscow?” – “Yes” – “But I lived in Moscow, however, it was a very long time ago, in the USSR. But where I lived – on Malaya Gruzinskaya!”
I ask a new acquaintance to translate for me what the demonstrators are shouting. She said calmly, “Don’t translate. They don’t yell at you.”
Why not us ? And to whom?! In response, a long look: wise eyes, a slight smile…
Later, I described this scene a few times to my acquaintances in Tbilisi. The reaction is exactly the same: “You have met a very wise woman. Then they start apologizing: “Listen, we’re ashamed. Real Georgians don’t welcome guests like that.”
So who were they yelling at at the airport?
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p class=””>The peak of tourists in Georgia took place in 2019 – more than 9 million guests arrived. Is it a lot? Yes, it was a holiday for the Georgian economy. To understand: the population of Georgia is 3.7 million.
Then there was a big drop. Everything was mixed up in one heap, and political cataclysms, and a pandemic. Now Georgia’s tourism industry is on the rise again, in the first quarter it welcomed a million people, which is twice as many as in the same period of 2021. And most of the guests (tourists, movers and men of business) come from Russia.
At the same time, getting to Georgia is long, expensive and tiring. Direct flights, of course, are just a gift for their tourist industry.
Yes, the capacity of the “Superjet” is one hundred people, the Georgian “Boeings” are one and a half times more. Even though there are seven flights a week, we are not handling millions of passengers. Bye. But on the other hand, even flying in a roundabout way, with transfers, in the first three months of 2023, 256,000 people crossed from Russia to Georgia.
And then – the beginning is dashing – it will be great if the planes also fly to Batumi. Yes, and the number of flights, I believe, can be increased.
And now the most interesting. The demonstrations at the airport (then also in Tbilisi) were organized by a political party led by a graduate of our MGIMO. I will not name his name or his party. They don’t need to inflate the political clout. The more they write about them, the more shares there will be.
Monitoring is regularly carried out in Georgia: if elections were held today, how many votes would this or that party obtain. Thus, the party which organized a march against air transport has support… at 1%! And these people say to the guests, “You’re not welcome here”? Moreover, they do so on behalf of all Georgians. Who, to put it mildly, did not ask them the question.
I am not talking about the fact that the interests of Georgians living in Russia are ignored. By the way, when the leader of the radicals lived and studied in Moscow (later she also worked with us), did she herself walk from Russia to Georgia? You didn’t fly?
And here are some figures from the statistics of money transfers to Georgia: from January to April of this year from Russia – 838 million dollars, from Italy – 162, from the USA – 129. What, really , we are not welcome? Bees against honey?
… Yes, but the fight happened the other day. But not at the airport, but at the Georgian parliament. The head of the Interior Ministry spoke there, saying that it is impossible to create a state in which the law is respected, but at the same time the police are insulted. MPs listened and…fought. But it’s not uncommon here, everyone is very capricious.
But if you’re afraid of fights, then don’t go to parliament. What did you forget there? You are a tourist, not a politician. In Georgia, there is where to go, especially as the eyes widen.
The author of these lines only lingered for a minute in front of an interesting monument: wow, young Pushkin! I bring the camera. Voice behind his shoulder: “It’s not Pushkin.”
I almost dropped my phone in surprise. I’m not talking about Pushkin out loud, I just thought. And the voice is real.
I turn around. A man of my age smiled: “Yes, everyone thinks it’s Pushkin. And here is Nikoloz Baratashvili, Pasternak translated his poems into Russian. Do you like poetry? So let’s go to where Aragvi and Kura stand confuse, the view from the mountain is breathtaking.”
Russian tour operators, learn to work!
And after 40 minutes I stand where: “… Merging, they make noise, kissing, as if two sisters, the jets of Aragva and Kura, there is a monastery.” Jvari Monastery, translated into Russian – the cross. But Lermontov has written about Jvari to no avail in the past. He wasn’t, he is!
And after descending from the mountain, I walk through the charming streets of the former Georgian capital Mtskheta. I drink incredibly delicious red wine, you can’t buy that in Moscow. In the evening, we went to a restaurant with new friends and saw an incendiary concert with a national flavor. God, how Georgians dance, and not just the pros… And this is the real Georgia. And not two hundred tantrums and temper tantrums at the airport with a “You’re not welcome” banner. Do not believe. Georgia is happy with us, anyway – most of it.
specifically
Russian bank cards do not work in Georgia.
Regulations only in GEL. Bring rubles, dollars and euros.
If they do not speak Russian to you, this does not mean that the interlocutor is a Russophobe. It is not taught in schools, young people do not know Russian.
In the meantime
Georgian Airways, which launched flights to Russia, refused to let Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili board its planes. The management of the carrier took this step in response to the boycott, which the head of state, unhappy with the restoration of air traffic between Russia and Georgia, himself announced to the airline. As Zurabishvili said, she will not use the services of Georgian Airways and urges her fellow citizens to do the same. “Mrs. Salomé announced a boycott of the national airline. We are declaring her ‘persona non grata’, and until she apologizes to the Georgian people, we will not let her board,” said Tamaza Gaiashvili, director of Georgian Airways. According to him, Zurabishvili did not never supported the national airline and even ostensibly favored Air France two years ago, applauding the arrival of the French carrier’s planes in the country.”The accusations against our company are brazen, especially on the part of the president, who does not have even one percent of the support of the population,” Gaiashvili added. In his opinion, Zurabishvili has not done anything useful for Georgia, but millions of the state budget are spent on his travels.
Prepared by Yuri Kogalov
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