Bangkok, September 02: Attention internet-savvy travellers: Thailand is giving away free trips to five lucky couples who don’t mind sitting in front of a computer while on vacation.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand launched a new campaign on Tuesday offering five couples fully paid trips to the country’s most popular cities and beaches.
In return, they will be asked to blog, chat and tweet about their holiday in a bid to win a grand prize of $10 000, a BlackBerry and a video camera.
Applicants should be “good storytellers” and must know how to navigate YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Flickr, the TAT said on the contest’s newly launched website where one-minute video auditions can be submitted until October 15.
Thailand’s tourism industry is facing its worst crisis in years, with foreign arrivals down 15% so far this year because of political upheaval and the global recession.
Tourism officials say they were inspired by Australia’s recent highly publicised campaign dubbed the “Best Job in the World”.
—Agencies