Eight Chinese youths were chosen as ambassadors of Philippine tourism following a two-month promo of a Philippine mall in Xiamen, China.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the eight won the “SM Xiamen Shopping: Win a Philippines Tour and Be a Philippine Tourism Ambassador" last Aug. 9.
“All of the eight winners will be considered tourism ambassadors and will tour the Philippines by September 2009, sponsored by the Department of Tourism (DOT)," the DFA said on its website (http://www.dfa.gov.ph).
It said the two-month promo began in mid-June at the Atrium of the SM City Xiamen Mall, jointly organized by the Philippine Consulate General in Xiamen, the South China Office of the
DOT based in Hong Kong and SM City Xiamen Mall.
Attending the event were the officers and staff of the consulate general led by Consul General Raul Hernandez; Wong Hoi Kuen, DOT market representative for Hong Kong, Macau and South China; Wang Ning, Outbound travel manager of China Travel Service of Xiamen; and Charles Cai, mall manager of SM City Xiamen Mall.
Hernandez awarded the grand winner of the event while 10 semi-finalists were chosen from over thousands who joined the raffle draw held at SM City.
“The ten were chosen through a series of interviews and were selected for their overall personality and communication skills," the DFA said.
Teachers from the Manila-Xiamen International School provided entertainment for the event by performing two dance numbers to add color and meaning to the event.
The MXIS Dancers performed a dance medley of Subli and Bulaklakan and Singkil, the DFA said.
Among the ten finalists chosen to compete for the title of “Xiamen-Philippines Tourism Ambassador," five were given special awards and three were chosen as the runners-up. - GMANews.TV
