Aiming to increase the country’s do­mestic tourism potential and allow the residents to better understand the unique landscapes of Georgia, the Georgian National Tourism Administration (GNTA) has begun a new campaign — “Meet Georgia,” where Georgian celeb­rities tell stories related to travel and diverse regions of Georgia.

“Meet Georgia” is a series of video clips in which people of different pro­fessions try to convince others to travel around Georgia and gain unforgettable memories of their trips. Destinations are vast and include Samegrelo, Guria, Imereti, Racha, Svaneti and Pshav- Khevsureti. For instance, Nino

Sukhishvili, the Choreographer in the video states that: “It is very important to develop domestic tourism. Sukhishvili Ensamble has been to six regions and it’s strange that the major­ity of the dancers haven’t been around Georgia, while they have traveled the whole world. The dancers have seen the world’s must see destinations and haven’t been to Vardzia.

Schools should also play a big role in developing the field by bringing youngsters to the fieldtrips. We have the opportunity to travel around the coun­try, whose cultural-historical heritage is marvelous. Before talking about attract­ing foreign tourists, we should learn more about Georgia and trust me you’ll find many interesting things.”

Rezo Gigineishvili, the Director: “I live in Moscow and constantly have the nostalgia of Georgia. My visits before have been around Tbilisi, my friends and restaurants; but a while ago I was shoot­ing a movie across Georgia which gave me an opportunity to see my country.

Near Kareli, Kintsvisi Monasery is located and I saw a fresco which ex­ceeded any expectation I had. I had no idea I would see such a breathtaking painting. I think I saw a masterpiece and I would like to share this with the rest.

Go and see our country, don’t be lazy!”

Zurab Ingorokva, the actor states in the video: “I have heard many times that Georgia is beautiful and I ask once: where have you been? Some will say Telavi, some - Batumi, Kutaisi... Some hasn’t even seen those place, which is a big problem. So I encourage Georgians to see their own - astonishing country at first! I have traveled at least three times by foot across it. I believe, that if you are a resident of this country, you need to know it very well.

According to the representatives of the GNTA, the mission of the campaign is to develop domestic tourism and en­courage people to plan their vacations throughout the country. “We need to convince them that they should not know Georgia less then they know other countries. And before planning their trip to other continents, they should start by getting to know their own country,” the GNTA reports.

“We want to make this campaign vi­ral in order to create a desire among our citizens to travel to various regions of Georgia,” state the representatives at the Administration. “Maybe they haven’t planned their trip this summer, but with our active campaign we would like to encourage them. It is highly possible that after seeing the campaign some would travel with their friends and family to rural parts of the country,” reports.

The videos are posted on social net­works, while 30-second clips are also broadcast by various Georgian TV chan­nels.

Additionally, the Administration is planning to organize a special tour to several regions of Georgia for celebri­ties and media representatives in order to promote Georgia’s destinations.