Fan Bingbing named unofficial tourism ambassador for Kedah

Chinese actress Fan BingBing has reportedly become the unofficial tourism ambassador for the Malaysian state of Kedah. 

This comes after the actress uploaded photos of her recent visit to Masjid Zahir in Alor Setar, reported The Star.

In an Instagram post, the actress was seen donning the hijab and visiting iconic attractions in Kedah including the Royal Kedah museum, Alor Setar telegraph tower, Zahir mosque and Chinatown. 

Don't miss: With influencer marketing taking over, what values do celebrities bring to marketers? 

According to her caption, Fan visited the attractions while on a break from filming a movie titled Mother Bhumi with Malaysian director Chong Keat Aun. 

In a separate, Instagram post, Fan shared her experience visiting iconic locations around the state and said that she tried local food.

In addition, the actress posted a video of her planting in Kedah. In the video, Fan is seen helping a local woman plant in the mud. The actress loses her balance and falls into the mud. She is later seen cleaning herself with a bucket of water. 

The posts garnered comments from social media users, many of whom were welcoming the actress to their hometown of Kedah, as seen by A+M. Some social media users also shared feelings of love towards the actress and have complimented her appearance. 

Earlier in May this year, Fan was appointed as Melaka's tourism ambassador. 

In a Facebook post, Melaka chief minister Rauf Yusoh said he met Jersey Chong, Fan's international manager, to discuss the actress' visit. Rauf added that he believes that the presence of Fan will attract more tourists from China and Asia to visit Melaka. 

Following her appointment, Fan kicked off her role with a visit to Melaka in June where hundreds of people gathered at Bandar Hilir, a key Melaka heritage site, to catch a glimpse of the actress as reported by The Straits Times. Some gathered as early as 10am to wait for her arrival.

As part of her role, Fan visited key tourist destinations of Melaka, such as the Baba House Melaka, Melaka River Cruise and local Peranakan restaurants. She was also seen donning various traditional wear such as the Nonya Kebaya at these sites, as well as eating local delights such as durian cendol.

Soon after her visit, Melaka trended on Chinese social media platform WeChat. 

The term 'Melaka' saw over 320 million searches over two days, according to Fan's PR manager Jersey Chong. 

Related articles:  
Melaka trends on WeChat following Fan Bingbing's ambassador role 
Fan Bingbing kicks off role as Melaka's newest tourism ambassador  
Melaka picks actress Fan Bingbing as ambassador to promote tourism