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Remember when Chinese actress Fan Bingbing was made Melaka’s Tourism Friendship Ambassador in May 2024?
Back then, her four-day visit in Melaka raised eyebrows and the whole tourism plan was seen as a misguided attempt to revive tourism in the state.
READ MORE: Fan Bingbing’s RM498,000 Four-Day Ambassador Trip To Melaka Raises Eyebrows
However, the plan seemed to have worked remarkably well because tourism in Melaka shot up, especially gaining visits from Chinese tourists.
For her efforts in boosting the state’s profile as a global tourism destination, Fan was conferred the Darjah Pangkuan Seri Melaka (DPSM), which carries the title of Datuk Kehormat (Honorary Datuk), during an investiture ceremony in Seri Negeri, Ayer Keroh on 24 August.
The event was held in conjunction with the birthday of Melaka Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Dr Mohd Ali Rustam.
Upon receiving the honour, Fan pledged to continue promoting the historic city to global tourists. She shared she was elated with the honour and deeply treasured the recognition from the Melaka Government.
She attended a product launch at a Kuala Lumpur mall ahead of the ceremony. Fan shared she will be travelling here frequently and will return to Melaka next month to promote tourism.
According to reports, Fan helped generate over 1.5 billion impressions for the state on WeChat. In addition, her promotional efforts helped boost Chinese tourist arrivals to Melaka from 204,818 in 2023 to 664,687 in 2024.
Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh said Fan has helped catapult Melaka into the global tourism spotlight and they deeply appreciate her efforts.
Fan, known for her roles in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) and I Am Not Madame Bovary (2016), now joins the ranks of international stars previously honoured by Malaysia for their contributions to tourism, such as Bollywood actor Datuk Shah Rukh Khan and Hong Kong superstar Datuk Jackie Chan.
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