Basketball star Zaza Pachulia invites fans to Georgia amid Russia flight ban
Zaza Pachulia is a Georgian-originated basketball star playing for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Photo: Zaza Pachulia's Facebook page.
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A well-known Georgian basketball player Zaza Pachulia has joined the ‘Visit Georgia’ campaign and called on his fans to visit Georgia amid Russia’s ban on flights to the country.
He has posted photos of Georgian landscapes on his Facebook and Instagram accounts, calling on all his followers and NBA fans from all over the world to visit this ‘amazing country’.
The campaign with the hashtag #visitGeorgia was launched after Russian President Vladimir Putin banned flights to Georgia and called on Russian tourists currently in Georgia to return to Russia by 7-8 July.
Zaza Pachulia is a Georgian-originated basketball star playing for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won the NBA championships in 2017 and 2018 with the Golden State Warriors.
He was the captain of the Georgian national basketball team until September 2017.
The recent address to “friends around the world” has gone viral in online media, calling on the rest of the world to come to Georgia amid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent ban on flights with Georgia. Georgians invite travellers from all over the world to come to their country and "experience best wine, tastiest food and unforgettable hospitality provided by some of the warmest hearted people in the world".
Over 12,000 Russian citizens have signed an online petition calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to cancel his recent ban on flights between Russia and Georgia. "Allow flights between Georgia and Russia, as Russian citizens in Georgia are in safety. As for the protest rallies – this is the right of the Georgian citizens”, the text of the petition reads.
Russian president Vladimir Putin has ordered a ban on flights to Georgia as part of Russian state reaction to protest in Tbilisi following a Duma MP's appearance in the Tbilisi parliament.
Foreign embassies in Georgia are promoting the country as a tourism destination, sharing their personal experience of travelling in Georgia in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent ban on flights with Georgia. On the other hand Georgians also invite travellers from all over the world to come to their country.
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The social campaign under the hashtag #VisitGeorgia #SpendYourSummerinGeorgia continues in Georgia where Georgians as well as foreign visitors share their personal experience of travelling in Georgia and inviting everyone to support the tourism industry by travelling in Georgia this year.
One of the largest US tour operators, MIR Corporation, and National Geographic will launch cooperation to organise tours for tourists from the United States, Canada, New Zealand and other English-speaking countries to Georgia.
Georgia's NBA champion Zaza Pachulia will return to the Golden State Warriors as a team consultant on both the business and basketball side, renewing his work with the team he shared the titles with over the past two seasons.
Lithuania is one of the first countries that has joined a new campaign supporting the Georgia’s tourism industry by calling on more of their citizens to visit the country. Ambassador of Lithuania to Georgia Giedrius Poudziunas believes Georgia is “a wonderful environment” for adventure.
Georgian national basketball team player Tornike Shengelia has been crowned the champion of Spain's top-flight league after leading his club Baskonia to a 69-67 win against Barça on Tuesday.
Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili says that Georgian national basketball team captain Tornike Shengelia’s signing of a contract with Russian basketball club CSKA is ‘regrettable and unacceptable.’
Georgian basketball player Elene Iluridze, 21, has joined the United States UT Tyler Women's basketball programme after competing for her home country of Georgia in high level international competition across the world.