If you’re dreaming of fame, you might not need to try too hard. Put down your guitar and cancel those acting lessons – sometimes all it takes is a plane ticket to Georgia.
At least that’s what it took for Jesper Black when he wanted to visit some friends in the beautiful Caucus country in 2016.
What appeared to be a simple visit became a road to celebrity — at least in Georgia.
How did this happen?
What more could a tourist want than some beautiful landscapes, good food, and really (really!) good wine?
The Georgian National Tourism Administration asked themselves the same thing about 10 years ago when they realised their tourism numbers weren’t exactly where they wanted them to be.
Even though Georgia has all of the above to offer (and more), there weren’t that many people visiting the country.
So the administration did what anyone would: they planned an unforgettable welcome for their six-millionth tourist.
How? They partnered up with a film-production company and created a video documenting a very extravagant welcome.
All that was left for them to do was to stake out the airport in Tbilisi and count passengers exiting a newly arrived plane.
They hit the number six million, and voilá, a Dutchman was about to truly enjoy what it means to be in the right place at the right time.
Who is Jesper Zwart?
The Dutchman in question was Jesper Zwart.
Originally from Groningen, but also having lived in Barcelona for a bit, Jesper worked at a call centre.
Like many of us, Jesper dreamt of travelling as the colder, darker months of the year approached the Netherlands, but he took it to the next level.
Every so often, he booked a couple weeks off work in order to travel: around Europe, to Asia, to South America, anywhere.
In 2016, he decided to visit some friends in Georgia on one of his many trips.
What was waiting for Jesper in Georgia?
Being presented with a bottle of wine at passport control is a bit unusual, but perhaps Jesper attributed this to exceptional Georgian hospitality.
Things definitely got weird, however, when he exited the gate and found a chaffeur with his name on a sign waiting for him. Jesper was taken to a limo and presented with an envelope that read: “You’re very special to us. Prepare for a surprise. – Georgia.”
If strange men taking you away in limos and cryptic messages signed by states sound scary to you, you’re not alone. I’d be pissing myself. Not Jesper, though. He seemed quite excited about the whole thing.
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His excitement grew when he saw that the limo was accompanied by a police escort and his passport photo projected on billboards around the capital with the ominous caption “he has arrived.”
It’s safe to say Georgia was fortunate Jesper was the lucky number six million. His spirits remained high in spite of his passport picture being projected for all of Tbilisi to see.
But Georgia’s publicity stunt didn’t end there. The limo stopped at a red carpet leading to the fancy restaurant Funicular, where he was welcomed by none other than the Prime Minister of Georgia at the time, Giorgi Kvirikashvili.
To make the welcome truly grand, the whole country participated in Jesper’s welcome. Every Georgian could vote online for which dishes should be included in the dinner the Dutchman was about to have with the prime minister.
The food wasn’t just accompanied by famous Georgian wine but also performances of traditional dance and music.
Jesper saw the best of what Georgia had to offer by the end of the night, and he was impressed.
How “Jesper Black” came to be
And he wasn’t alone. The video documenting his experience went viral and made him somewhat of a celebrity in Georgia.
The tourism campaign was so well produced that the video even won Silver and Bronze Lions at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity.
Jesper seized his newfound fame with both hands. Since his last name, Zwart, was confusing to some people (as many of us can probably relate), he changed it to Black.
And so, call centre employee from Groningen, Jesper Zwart, was gone, and Jesper Black was ready to take Georgia by storm.
Jesper didn’t really speak the language yet, and he was a pretty bad dancer (by his own admission). So naturally, he began by going on Georgian Dancing with the Stars.
The experience was a bit of a fail, but that didn’t curb his enthusiasm for Georgia, and he ended up staying.
Georgia became his home for the next two years — all as a result of him stepping out of that plane at the exact right time.
Maybe he helped an old lady with her bags, maybe he let a few people pass him in the aisle because they were in a hurry. Whatever lucky coincidence brought Jesper to Georgia, it didn’t keep him there forever.
Where is Jesper Black now?
After a few years, he realised he was too restless to stay in one place. It was time to leave, although with fond memories.
He is back to travelling and living in all kinds of different places — currently in Barcelona again.
He did leave the celebrity life behind him, though. These days, Jesper fills his days with photography and retweeting Joe Rogan.
What’s your craziest travel experience? Let us know in the comments!
