Batumi Boom Town
GEORGIA 2024
Part 2
As we approached Batumi, large billboards began to line the roadside, advertising newly built apartments for sale. The hillside gave way as the road snaked through the city's outskirts, revealing towering construction sites on the upper side. Still, we couldn’t quite make sense of it all—up to this point, our experience of Georgian cityscapes had been limited to minimally maintained commie-block towns with chaotic road layouts.
Everything became clear, however, as soon as we reached the coastline. The view opened up, revealing the main city in the distance—and it was immediately obvious why Batumi is often called the "Las Vegas of the Black Sea." The city sparkled with brightly lit, extravagantly designed high-rises: a colourful, blinking spectacle.
We had booked an Airbnb in advance. It was located in one of the old areas, in a modest four-story building with one of those external staircases. Since there were no other guests, the landlord let us move up one floor to get a better view. From our bedroom, we looked out at the tall towers rising above the rusted tin roofs of an aging Soviet-era neighbourhood.
It definitely promised to be an exciting stay.
1 The Night of Arrival
BRIEF RECAP: Batumi’s role as a logistics hub in trade between Asia and Europe dates back over 2,000 years. Originally founded as an ancient port city along the historic Silk Road, Batumi maintained its strategic significance into the 20th century, serving as a key point for exporting oil from Azerbaijan to Western Europe. During the Soviet era, it evolved into a popular beach resort. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Batumi became part of the autonomous region of Adjara, which remained largely isolated from the rest of Georgia until 2004. It was in the early 2000s that Kazakh investors began to recognize Batumi’s potential, gradually transforming the city into Central Asia’s premier gambling destination.
2 Checking out the areas close by
In the early 2000s, Batumi began attracting Kazakh investors. Since then it is gradually earning its reputation as the "Las Vegas of the Black Sea." The city became a magnet for gamblers from Turkey, Iran and other muslim and middle eastern countries where gambling is prohibited.
In recent years, Batumi has experienced an unprecedented real estate boom. Its seaside has been transformed into a skyline dominated by hotels and apartment buildings, fueling the fastest-growing real estate market in Georgia. Despite the impressive numbers, many of these buildings remain partially or even mostly unoccupied. Even during peak holiday seasons, the anticipated influx of tourists has yet to fully materialize. Meanwhile, Batumi has become home to many young Russians and Ukrainians fleeing military conscription. Their presence has made Russian the unofficial main language in the city.
Through our second accommodation, we wanted to get a better picture of Batumi's current real estate boom. We stayed in a one-room apartment in the Batumi Beach Tower, located in the city’s downtown area. The building was one of the many modern “apart-hotels” — a hybrid of individually owned apartments with hotel amenities and concierge service. At the reception desk, we got our keys.
3 Moving to a Boom Town Apartment (28GEL/10€ per night special discount)
Inside our room, everything was tidy and clean. Another plus was the bed, which felt like heaven compared to what we had been sleeping on throughout our trip. The cons were a suspiciously shaking balcony railing, and algae in the shower. While the bad provided good rest opportunities, we could constantly hear the DING of the elevators arriving in the corridor throughout the night. Later, we discovered that the ground floor of the building was only partially utilized. The section that wasn’t a hotel lobby was a vacant construction site. Even more unsettling, all floors above the 24th were completely empty. If you accidentally pressed the "Roof" button in the elevator, it would ascend to a stop exposed to the open sky, with only a flimsy grid door standing between you and a sheer drop. Needless to say, the advertised rooftop garden was nonexistent.
4 INVEST NOW!
After our first few days, we were still overwhelmed by the dynamism of Batumi’s construction sector. I viewed the numerous billboards around the city, which promised even taller apartment towers and luxurious lifestyles, with suspicion. To me, the building of our second accommodation exemplified Batumi’s current redevelopment very well. Throughout our trip, we made several of these observations: the initial grand vision doesn't quite match the reality.
5 Skyscraper Adventure
After spending two days immersed in this surreal dreamscape, the urge to ascend one of those modern buildings became irresistible. We set our sights on the most intriguing structure, kindly referred to The Pearl of the Black Sea, only to discover it was essentially a Ghost Tower - an abandoned or partially stalled construction site. Right during sunset we waited for a good opportunity, then delved inside, with only one goal in mind: Reach the top!
Besides accomplishing our self-set goal of ascending the most fashionable skyscraper in town, I want to share some other noteworthy observations we made in Batumi.
1. CCTV
Firstly, the whole city is full of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, both in public on every street corner and in private areas. And, before you ask, yes, the cameras are working and yes, they are also being monitored. (We conducted some tests!)
2. The city has its own Central Park
It is called Parki 6 Maisi and beside some trees and a neatly trimmed gras areas it contains a 5.5 ha-large lake, the Nurigeli lake, which supposedly is of natural origin.
3. Neon City
Thirdly, high-rise buildings and neon signs have a longstanding tradition in Batumi - one that predates its recent redevelopment.
4. Digital Government
Fourth, as we initially intended only to pay our parking fees, we discovered that these same Paybox Machines are also used for gambling. We ended up losing all our money on Crystalbet. (Just kidding.) The machines are indispensable if you need to pay government fines—which, incidentally, was exactly what we had to do because Georgia’s traffic rules seemed quite obscure, and its fully surveilled highway system catches everything.
5. Police Patrol
Fifth, even compared to other Georgian cities, there seemed to be significantly more police cars patrolling in Batumi. This felt quite strange, as there wasn’t much happening on the streets, and we were very sure, that we were the only real foreigners in the entire city anyway.
6. Last Words
Thank you Batumi for the many unexpected twists and fascinating contradictions you have shown to us — exactly the kind of experience I love most about traveling. If I ever get the chance, I would definitely return, as a couple of important things were not accomplished, yet.