Fan Bingbing debuts as Melaka tourism ambassador
MELAKA – Popular Chinese actress Fan Bingbing officially started her first day as the Visit Melaka 2024 ambassador on June 14 in the state capital of Melaka City.
Hundreds of people made a beeline to get a glimpse of her at the iconic Stadthuys building in the area of Bandar Hilir.
The crowd gathered on June 14 as early as 10am to wait for her arrival. Some people also attempted to take a wefie with the star of My Fair Princess (1998 to 1999) and X-Men: Days Of Future Past (2014).
Fan, who was clad in a Nonya kebaya, was at meet-and-greet sessions at various locations and was also scheduled to visit tourism and heritage sites from June 14 to 16.
Earlier, the 42-year-old actress paid a courtesy call to Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh at his office in the Seri Negeri state building in Ayer Keroh, Melaka.
He said Fan, who has 63 million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo, would be able to create an impact for Melaka tourism in view of her popularity.
“Fan Bingbing is influential and her fans will follow her, placing Melaka at an advantage,” he said.
He said the state government was lucky as Fan’s Asian manager is a Malaysian and she suggested that the Chinese film star could offer her services to promote the state.
He said Fan’s influential status will help with the success of the tourism campaign, and that the state government hoped she would be able to woo tourists from China and other parts of Asia to Melaka.
The campaign in Melaka is not Fan’s first brush with promoting tourism in South-east Asian cities.
In April, she was invited to be a special guest at the Maha Songkran World Water Festival 2024 by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The event saw her dressed in traditional Thai costume and standing on a float fashioned from a tuk-tuk decorated with flowers at a Songkran parade in Bangkok. – THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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