Summary 

The 2020 Coronavirus pandemic has a very large negative impact on the global economy. The International Monetary Fund estimates that the crisis caused by the pandemic will hurt the world economy more than the 2008-2009 global financial crisis. The tourism sector is particularly affected, as are Countries with a large share of tourism in GDP, including Georgia.

The paper discusses the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on the Georgian tourism sector. Due to the pandemic, Georgia has lost a considerable amount of revenue from international travel - losses for I-II quarters of 2020 amount to about 1.1-1.2 billion USD. It is very important that tourism plays a significant role in the Georgian economy - 8% of GDP, which is about 3 times higher than the world average, which gives us reason to think that the Georgian economy is facing a very big crisis.

150000 people were employed in Georgian tourism and related services - about 10% of employees. Their income depended on tourism. Currently these people are left without jobs and income. According to the decision of the Georgian government, about 1 billion GEL will be spent on their social assistance.

Finally, Georgia must use its successful fight against Coronavirus to raise awareness and image in the international arena, that will develop tourism sector in the future.