Georgia Love deletes all her posts from Saudi Arabia trip

Georgia Love and partner Lee Elliot have deleted their Instagram posts promoting Saudi Arabia but they can’t hide from those tagging them.

Former Bachelorette Georgia Love and her partner Lee Elliot have deleted their Instagram posts after backlash over a trip to promote a country with a dismal human rights record.

The reality TV star and journalist has been copping it over a junket to the autocratic regime of Saudi Arabia — which only this week executed 81 people in a single day.

“After only opening to tourists in 2019, we can’t state how excited we are to be among the first Aussies to tour Saudi,” Love wrote on Instagram on Thursday.

“To us, it is important to see, experience and learn about all cultures around us and to see how much and how fast our world is changing. We can’t wait to bring you along on this incredible experience with us.”

Love wrote on social media the trip was “not a paid partnership” despite her plugging Visit Saudi tourism in her posts.

“We do not in any way endorse behaviours of the past or any human rights violations that have occurred in this country,” she wrote.

Georgia Love and Lee Elliott in since deleted photographs from Saudi Arabia.

“We are also not being paid to be here. We are here for ourselves to experience and see a different country and culture as that for us is what travel is all about.

“We want to see and experience as much of the world as we can — this includes all cultures and religions, whether we follow them, agree with them or not.”

But those on the trip with her include travel bloggers who are traditionally afforded free travel and accommodation in return for favourable coverage.

Among them is Lithuanian travel blogger Sky Naite whose Instagram posts include Love in the background. One post refers to “behind the scenes (footage) with Georgia Love”.

American travel blogger whose page “Jess Wandering” has more than 900,000 followers is also along for the ride, tagging #VisitSaudi.

Toronto-based travel blogger and photographer Lizzie Peirce was also invited by Saudi Tourism. Her posts also tag Tourism Saudi Arabia as well as Love and Elliot.

Georgia Love, left, is tagged in content promoting Saudi Arabia that is published by other influencers.

Saudi Arabia’s government has copped heavy criticism for its human rights abuses, including its treatment of women and its LGBT community, and for repressing political opposition.

Entertainment journalist Peter Ford tweeted a link to a news article revealing Saudi Arabia recently “executed 81 convicts in a single day”.

Ford claimed, “This is the country Georgia Love accepted a free trip to visit. Of the 81 you can be sure there is a disproportionate number of women, gays & possibly journalists. Did you really need a freebie trip that badly Georgia?”

She also faced pushback in her comments section.

“Sorry Georgia but supporting/promoting Saudi Arabia is incredibly wrong,’’ one follower wrote.

“They executed 82 people a few days ago. Not to mention the lack of women’s rights and the LGBTI+ community. Being a journalist, it might have been a good idea to research a country before promoting it. Their human rights are appalling. Disappointing. Seems a free holiday is more important than morals.”

Georgia Love in content shared by travel blogger Sky Naite.

Another follower wrote: “Why not use your influence/platform to promote somewhere that doesn’t have an atrocious record of human rights violations.”

In response to one person’s suggestion that it was a paid partnership, Love responded that it was not.

Some commented that the couple should be left to enjoy their holiday without negativity.

Elliott responded to critics on his post:

“I truly hear and understand what you’re saying and where you’re coming from,” he said. “We thought long and hard about coming and we decided to come as the world is changing for the better and Saudi along with it.

“We strongly believe by Saudi opening up to the rest of the world and by tourists being here it has to be more accountable and hope this is a change for the better. Trust me we looked into it before coming and believe many things have changed for the better in more recent times and hope they continue to do so.”

Love’s latest gaffe comes just weeks after she revealed she’s leaving her TV career behind at Channel Seven for a new job away from the cameras in PR.

She announced the news in a statement to the Daily Telegraph, telling the publication that she was excited to begin her next chapter in the media industry.

It comes approximately five months after Seven took the reality TV star off the air and moved her to a behind-the-scenes role after she received backlash for a controversial Instagram post.