Steadily recovering from the Russian invasion of 2008, notably with parliamentary and presidential elections that were followed by a peaceful handover of power, Georgia has seen an enormous rise in visitor numbers in the past few years. This new edition of Bradt's Georgia has been thoroughly updated throughout, with greatly expanded coverage of Batumi and Adjara and of Svaneti. The capital, Tbilisi, has seen huge changes in the past decade with some conspicuous new projects such as the Peace Bridge, the Palace of Justice, the Opera House, Ivanishvili's hilltop villa and Saakashvili's presidential palace. Much of the country can be visited in day-trips from the luxury hotels of Tbilisi and Batumi; the remotest areas such as Svaneti and the Pankisi valley can also now be visited. Mestia, the capital of Svaneti, now has an airport and a ski resort. The Georgian wine industry is covered, as is the Black Sea resort of Batumi, near the Turkish border.
