Kuala Lumpur, June 16 (AseanAll) — Chinese actress Fan Bingbing (范冰冰) has been officially appointed as Melaka’s newest tourism ambassador.
Photo source:TourismMelaka
According to Malaysian media the Star, on June 14,2024, Fan Bingbing made a courtesy call to Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh at his office in Seri Negeri, Ayer Keroh, Malaysia.
Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh greeted Chinese actress Fan Bingbing at his office and presented her with the honour of Melaka international tourism ambassador for 2024 on 14 June,2024. Photo source: Ab Rauf Yusoh (Facebook)
Ab Rauf said Fan, who has 63 million followers on Weibo (a social media platform in China), 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 advantage," he said.
Ab Rauf 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 the 42-year-old's influential role will see to the success of TMM2024 and that the state government hoped Fan would be able to woo tourists from China and other parts of Asia to Melaka.
According to Malaysian state news agency Bernama, Melaka Friendship Tourism Ambassador 2024 Fan Bingbing described the role as a heavy responsibility to bear and also a stroke of luck.
Fan Bingbing stated that Melaka is a unique tourist destination, unlike most famous tourist spots.
"For me, it is truly an honour to be appointed as the Melaka Friendship Tourism Ambassador 2024. After the Covid-19 pandemic, my mind was very unsettled, and I had not traveled abroad.
"However, post-pandemic tourism has become lively again, and people will surely choose places they have never visited before," she told reporters through a Mandarin interpreter.
Fan Bingbing was appointed to the role to promote Visit Melaka Year 2024 (TMM2024) and has been in the state for the past three days（June 14-16, 2024）.
Photo source: Facebook/Fan Bingbing 范冰冰
When asked why she chose Melaka as her travel destination this year, Fan said one of the reasons was the long history between Melaka and China.
"Chinese people can relate to Melaka's culture because Melaka's history is well-known in China, and many people in Melaka speak Mandarin.Chinese tourists coming to Malaysia can rest assured the locals here are also fluent in Mandarin. Moreover, Melaka has similarities with Yunnan province in China, as both have a rich history," she said.
Fan said she learned about Malaysia through a colleague, who often spoke about the country, and also expressed her interest in collaborating with other parties in the future.
"Malaysia is familiar to me because I have a Malaysian colleague. We have worked together for several years.
"I am also interested in experiencing life in Malaysia. If I get the chance, I would like to live in Kuala Lumpur as well and enjoy its tall skyline.
"Malaysia has many film directors and talented individuals, so I hope to collaborate with them someday," she said.
Fan, who has 63 million followers on Weibo (a social media platform in China similar to X) and 4.1 million followers on Instagram, is often portrayed as the face of Chinese culture on the global stage.
She has starred in the Hollywood superhero movie 'X-Men: Days of Future Past,' as well as French and South Korean films.
From 2013 to 2017, Fan was named the highest-paid celebrity in the Forbes China Celebrity 100 list.
In 2014, she joined the Barbie global celebrity Hall of Fame and became China’s First Barbie Doll while she also appeared on Vanity Fair's "Best Dressed" list in 2015 and 2016.
In 2017, Fan Bingbing graced the cover of Time magazine and was named one of the 100 Most Influential People
