Why seasons matter more in Batumi than in Tbilisi
Batumi is a resort city, and almost everything an owner deals with follows the calendar: how many visitors arrive, how many flights land, when flats sell, what tenants pay, and what it costs to keep a flat running. A flat that earns well in August can sit empty in February, and the best month to sell is not the best month to buy. Understanding that rhythm is the difference between a plan that works on paper and one that works in practice.
This page looks at the market as a whole across the year: visitors, the airport, property sales, rents, holidays that bring guests, and the costs that rise with the season. It ends with an owner's calendar, month by month. For nightly occupancy and prices by month, see our guides to occupancy by month and pricing by season; for life from November to April, our guide to winter in Batumi.
Visitors: one summer quarter, three quiet ones
The national statistics office publishes regional visitor numbers by quarter, not by month. Even so, the summer peak is plain. In the third quarter of 2025 Adjara received 1,274,400 international visits, almost level with Tbilisi's 1,306,300, while in the second quarter of 2026 Adjara's share of Georgia's international visits was 26.2%, well behind the capital. In other words, Adjara competes with Tbilisi for visitors only in summer.
Across the year, the head of Adjara's government said the region received about 5 million visits in 2025, domestic and international together, about 4% more than a year before, and that foreign visitors in the fourth quarter rose by about 10%. That is the case for "four seasons" tourism, but the summer still carries most of the weight.
The airport by month
Passenger figures from Batumi airport show the swing most clearly.
| Period | Passengers |
|---|---|
| January to April 2025 | 233,722 |
| April 2025 | 78,124 |
| January to June 2025 | 450,330 |
| August 2025, the record month | 213,636 |
| Whole of 2025 | 1,230,200 |
By our arithmetic, August 2025 alone accounted for about 17% of the year's passengers, and the four months from January to April together carried only slightly more than August. May and June together, about 216,600 passengers, roughly equalled one August. In the first quarter of 2026 the airport handled 115,785 passengers, about 25.6% fewer than a year earlier. Many routes that matter to Batumi buyers, including flights to Tel Aviv, Gulf cities and Kazakhstan, are listed as seasonal.
When flats sell
Sales follow the season too, though with a delay. Registered sales in Batumi, which Galt & Taggart reports from Public Registry data, were 4,018 in the second quarter of 2025 and 4,893 in the third, up 27% on a year earlier. The first quarter of 2026 had 4,049. The firm's survey of developers, which covers about 40% of the new-build market, found the peak month in September 2025, with 1,044 flats sold, then 705 in January 2026 and 306 in March 2026.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Registered sales, 2nd quarter 2025 | 4,018 |
| Registered sales, 3rd quarter 2025 | 4,893 |
| Registered sales, 1st quarter 2026 | 4,049 |
| Developer survey, September 2025 | 1,044 flats |
| Developer survey, March 2026 | 306 flats |
| Colliers, July 2025 | 1,664 transactions |
| Colliers, June 2026 | 1,468 transactions |
Two cautions apply. New-build sales are registered only when the paperwork is done, so registry figures push some sales later in the year than the contracts were signed. And the totals for whole years are what they are: 17,478 registered sales in 2025, according to Galt & Taggart. Our rough reading, based on these quarters, is that the first quarter is the quietest and the third and fourth the busiest, with buyers who visit in summer often completing in autumn.
Long lets across the year
We found no index that compares long-let rents in summer and winter. Galt & Taggart's rent benchmarks moved only slightly year on year in 2025, by about 1.6 to 1.7%, and its June and September figures use different flat sizes, so they cannot be compared as a seasonal change. What the listings show is the shape of the market: on 27 October 2026, of the first 15 rental adverts for Batumi on ss.ge, 6 offered a lease for a year and 3 offered a fixed let ending in May or June, before the summer.
That split is the core of an owner's choice. A year's lease gives steady income and a tenant who stays; a winter let fills the quiet months and frees the flat for nightly guests in summer. Galt & Taggart estimated an average gross yield of 7.4% for 2025, down from 8.8% in 2024, so whichever route you choose, test it with realistic numbers in our rental yield calculator.
Holidays that bring guests
Batumi's buyers and guests come from many countries, and their holidays shape demand. Israelis made up 13% of apartment buyers in Batumi in 2025, according to Galt & Taggart, and flights to Tel Aviv are among the seasonal routes. The tables on our pricing guide list Georgian, Russian, Turkish and Muslim holidays; a few more dates are worth noting for 2027:
- Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, falls around 20 to 21 March 2027; it has brought Iranian visitors to the South Caucasus, though we found no data on its effect in Batumi.
- Purim on 22 to 23 March and Shavuot on 10 to 12 June 2027.
- Rosh Hashana on 1 to 3 October, Yom Kippur on 10 to 11 October and Sukkot on 15 to 22 October 2027, a possible boost for the autumn shoulder season.
- Saudi school holidays: a provisional calendar shows a mid-year break from 8 January 2027 and the summer break from 24 June 2027, matching the start of Batumi's peak.
The city opened its 2026 tourist season on 21 June with a two-day summer festival by the Alphabet Tower. Treat holiday effects as possibilities to price for, not as bookings you can count on.
Costs that rise with the season
Some costs stay the same all year: the building's service fee, insurance and the minimum use of utilities. Others rise exactly when income does. A short-stay flat that is fully booked in August turns over every few days, because stays are shorter in summer, and each turnover means cleaning and laundry; one vendor quotes about GEL 40 for a one-bedroom flat and GEL 50 for two bedrooms, though we could not verify that figure independently. Management companies charge a share of income; one analytics provider reports about 10 to 15% for partial service and 20 to 30% for full service in Batumi.
Air conditioning is the other summer cost. As our own example, a 1 kW unit running 8 hours a day uses about 240 kWh a month, which costs about GEL 53 at the household tariffs in force from April 2026. Budget for these costs month by month, not as an annual average, so that the summer surplus is real and not an illusion.
An owner's calendar
| Months | What happens | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| January to March | Fewest flights and registered sales | View in bad weather, negotiate, renew or end winter lets |
| By 31 March | Rental income tax return due | File it before 1 April |
| April and May | Traffic starts to build | Finish repairs, open the summer booking calendar |
| June | Season opens around 21 June | Switch to nightly lets if that is the plan |
| July and August | Peak flights and income | Watch cleaning and air-conditioning costs |
| September | Peak month for new-build sales in 2025 | A strong time to list a flat for sale |
| October | Shoulder season | Advertise winter monthly lets |
| November | Wettest month | Property tax return by 1 November, payment by 15 November, pre-winter checks |
| December | New Year season | Short lets around the holidays |
The calendar is our guidance based on the figures above, not a market rule. The property tax dates apply to individuals who owe the tax; our guide to property tax for individuals explains who does.
Living with the seasons: pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| A strong summer peak for nightly lets | A long quiet period from November to April |
| Winter lets can cover running costs | Lower income than in summer |
| Quiet months are good for buying and repairs | Fewer flights and services in winter |
| Autumn is a busy time to sell | Registry data lag behind contracts |
| Holidays from several countries spread demand | Holiday effects are hard to measure |
To be added by the team: a chart for the team to draw: airport passengers and registered sales by quarter on one timeline, with the season opening and peak sales month marked.
Planning a Batumi flat around the seasons step by step
Choose the use
Year lease, winter let plus summer nights, or own use.
Budget month by month
Income and costs for each month, not averages.
Time the purchase
Quiet months give room to negotiate.
Time the repairs
Finish before June.
Mark the tax dates
31 March and 1 and 15 November.
Time a sale
List before the autumn peak.
Frequently asked questions
Which month is busiest in Batumi?
August: Batumi airport handled a record 213,636 passengers in August 2025.
How quiet is winter?
From January to April 2025 the airport handled 233,722 passengers, only slightly more than in August alone.
When do flats sell best?
Registered sales were highest in the third quarter of 2025, and developers' sales peaked in September 2025.
When is the best time to buy?
The quiet months from January to March, when sellers face fewer buyers.
Do long-let rents change with the season?
We found no seasonal rent index; the market offers both year leases and winter lets ending in May or June.
Which costs rise in summer?
Cleaning, laundry, management fees and air conditioning.
When is the season opening?
In 2026 the city opened the season on 21 June with a summer festival.
Which tax dates should owners remember?
The rental income return before 1 April, and the property tax return by 1 November with payment by 15 November.
Sources
- Inbound tourism in the 2nd quarter of 2026, Batumelebi, citing Geostat, 30 July 2026, and Inbound tourism statistics, 3rd quarter 2025, Geostat
- Adjara tourism results for 2025, Front News, 27 February 2026
- Airport passengers in four months of 2025, First Channel, 8 May 2025, and first half of 2025, First Channel, 14 July 2025
- Batumi airport's millionth passenger of 2025, First Channel, 9 October 2025
- 4,018 apartments sold in Batumi in 2Q25, GBC, 8 August 2025, and Batumi sales in the 3rd quarter of 2025, Homesoverseas, 2 December 2025
- Batumi housing market: sales growth and risks of oversupply, International Investment, 1 June 2026
- From coast to capital, Investor.ge, 23 October 2025, and Batumi market in June 2026, Homesoverseas, 7 August 2026
- Sector snapshot: Batumi residential real estate, Investor.ge, 20 April 2026
- Flats for rent in Batumi, ss.ge (accessed 27 October 2026)
- Jewish holidays 2027, Hebcal, Nowruz, Wikipedia, and Saudi school calendar, Mdares (accessed 27 October 2026)
- Tourist season opens with a summer festival, Front News, 21 June 2026
- Batumi short-let management fees, Airbtics, and cleaning prices, STR Specialist (accessed 27 October 2026)
Change log
- - Data page published from Geostat via Batumelebi, Front News, First Channel, GBC, Homesoverseas, International Investment, Investor.ge, ss.ge, Hebcal, Wikipedia, Mdares, Airbtics and STR Specialist.