Following in the footsteps of tourism officials around the world, Thailand is giving away free trips to five couples willing to blog, chat and tweet about the country’s most popular cities and beaches.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand launched a campaign Tuesday that will culminate in a winning couple being rewarded a grand prize of $10,000 US, a BlackBerry and a video camera.
Applicants should be “good storytellers” and must know how to navigate YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Flickr, the tourism authority said on the contest’s newly launched website, ultimatethailandexplorer.com, where one-minute video auditions can be submitted until Oct. 15.
Such ploys are becoming increasingly common as countries try to lure tourists in the midst of a punishing global economic downturn.
In July, tourism officials at Wookey Hole, a cave turned tourist attraction in Somerset, England, advertised for a witch willing to live in the cave.
The part-time job pays an annual pro-rated salary equivalent to $94,000. According to the job posting, the successful applicant will greet visitors and go about “the everyday life of a witch — showing visitors what it was like to live in the dark ages in a cave.”
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In May, a bungee-jumping, ostrich-riding British charity worker was named the winner of what’s been dubbed the “best job in the world” — a six-month contract to serve as caretaker of a tropical Australian island. Ben Southall beat out nearly 35,000 applicants from around the globe for the dream assignment to swim, explore and relax on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef for six months while writing a blog to promote the area.
He was selected for the $131,000 gig by officials from the Tourism Department of Queensland state.
Thai tourism officials said the success of the Queensland initiative inspired them to launch their own promotion.
The country’s tourism industry is facing its worst crisis in years, with foreign arrivals down 15 per cent so far this year because of political upheaval and the global recession.
A panel of Thai tourism officials will select 25 semifinalists by Oct. 15, and the final five couples, as well as the eventual grand prize winner, will be chosen by worldwide online voting.
Each of the five couples will be sent early next year on a six-day trip to different destinations: the capital, Bangkok; beach resorts Phuket, Samui and Pattaya; and the northern city of Chiang Mai.
A spokesperson for the tourism authority said the couples would be free to explore but would not be encouraged to “go to red-light districts and places like that.”
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