PHUKET has five couples now competing in the semifinals of the 'Ultimate Thailand Explorers' competition. It's all happening online and still fairly hush-hush . . . until five finalists are selected.
The contest ends tomorrow, and votes can be cast at www.ultimatethailandexplorers.com.
Then those fortunate famous five will each compile video reports on a prime destination in Thailand, and the lucky winner will scoop most of the Tourism Authority of Thailand holiday and cash prizes.
The five Phuket semifinalist couples can be found online . . . and Phuketwan can reveals that the island winners will either come from the US or Europe.
We know most about Jackson Choy and Lori Fujikawa-Choy from Long Beach, California, because an article appeared about them in The Rafu Shimpo, a Los Angeles Japanese daily.
Online we are told: ''As college sweethearts we first went to Thailand to volunteer doing humanitarian work and fell in love with the country and Thai culture.
''Since then we've been back several times to visit friends and for vacation. Every time we come back from a trip we always tell our friends and family that they need to visit - it is time to tell the rest of the world why we love Thailand as well!''
The competition already appears to be publicising Thailand's five top tourist destinations: Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, and Koh Samui.
Lori, 22, a graphic designer (Jackson, 28, is in sales and marketing) told the Rafu Shimpo: ''We try to go to Asia once a year - we really love traveling and went to Singapore and Thailand for our honeymoon this past June.
''To us, Thailand is more than just a great vacation destination - we both have a genuine love for the Thai people and their culture and in a way it feels like a second home.
''We still have many friends who live in Thailand and between the two of us we've been back to visit seven times.
Rafu: Should you win, what will your duties be? How can you help promote tourism to Thailand?
Lori: ''The teams who are voted as finalists will be sent to their chosen destination in Thailand for one week. The city we're competing for is Phuket, which is Thailand's largest island, and a very big vacation destination.
''Tourism accounts for an enormous part of Thailand's economy, so you can imagine with the recession and the decline of international traveling how hard it is for some businesses over there to survive.
''When my husband and I went to Phuket this past June, there were some restaurants that we would walk into and literally we were the only people there.
''Our main task if selected is to be the best tour guides for the city of Phuket! We will be responsible for creating an itinerary of interesting activities and documenting our adventures through blogging, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, and any other social network that we have available.
''Our goal is to highlight both cultural and social attractions that make Phuket a must-see destination for travelers of all types.''
Here's the lowdown on the other four couples: Marcin, 23, works in logistics and Agnieszka, 26, is a graphic designer. They are from Szczecin, Poland.
Connor, 22, is a tour guide and filmmaker and Mike, 25, is a graphic designer. They are from Oshkosh, US.
Mathieu, 32, from Le Rouet, France, flies ultralight aircraft professionally, and is teamed with Emilia, 32, from Warsaw, Poland, who teaches people to fly.
Robert, 42, is a flight attendant and Kelly, 41, is a wife and mother of two, from Grapevine, US.
Kelly writes: ''My teammate, Rob, is not only my husband and best friend, but a person I respect because of his compassion toward all people. After the tsunami hit in December of 2004, he was not content to just send money for relief.
''That January he jumped on a plane with no plans other than to go help where help was needed the most. He found himself in Karon cleaning up rubbish and building a sea wall.
''He then went to Phi Phi Don to help do the same. I admire him not only for this act of kindness but also for the love and joy he finds in everything he does.''
The contest ends tomorrow, and votes can be cast at www.ultimatethailandexplorers.com.
Then those fortunate famous five will each compile video reports on a prime destination in Thailand, and the lucky winner will scoop most of the Tourism Authority of Thailand holiday and cash prizes.
The five Phuket semifinalist couples can be found online . . . and Phuketwan can reveals that the island winners will either come from the US or Europe.
We know most about Jackson Choy and Lori Fujikawa-Choy from Long Beach, California, because an article appeared about them in The Rafu Shimpo, a Los Angeles Japanese daily.
Online we are told: ''As college sweethearts we first went to Thailand to volunteer doing humanitarian work and fell in love with the country and Thai culture.
''Since then we've been back several times to visit friends and for vacation. Every time we come back from a trip we always tell our friends and family that they need to visit - it is time to tell the rest of the world why we love Thailand as well!''
The competition already appears to be publicising Thailand's five top tourist destinations: Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, and Koh Samui.
Lori, 22, a graphic designer (Jackson, 28, is in sales and marketing) told the Rafu Shimpo: ''We try to go to Asia once a year - we really love traveling and went to Singapore and Thailand for our honeymoon this past June.
''To us, Thailand is more than just a great vacation destination - we both have a genuine love for the Thai people and their culture and in a way it feels like a second home.
''We still have many friends who live in Thailand and between the two of us we've been back to visit seven times.
Rafu: Should you win, what will your duties be? How can you help promote tourism to Thailand?
Lori: ''The teams who are voted as finalists will be sent to their chosen destination in Thailand for one week. The city we're competing for is Phuket, which is Thailand's largest island, and a very big vacation destination.
''Tourism accounts for an enormous part of Thailand's economy, so you can imagine with the recession and the decline of international traveling how hard it is for some businesses over there to survive.
''When my husband and I went to Phuket this past June, there were some restaurants that we would walk into and literally we were the only people there.
''Our main task if selected is to be the best tour guides for the city of Phuket! We will be responsible for creating an itinerary of interesting activities and documenting our adventures through blogging, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, and any other social network that we have available.
''Our goal is to highlight both cultural and social attractions that make Phuket a must-see destination for travelers of all types.''
Here's the lowdown on the other four couples: Marcin, 23, works in logistics and Agnieszka, 26, is a graphic designer. They are from Szczecin, Poland.
Connor, 22, is a tour guide and filmmaker and Mike, 25, is a graphic designer. They are from Oshkosh, US.
Mathieu, 32, from Le Rouet, France, flies ultralight aircraft professionally, and is teamed with Emilia, 32, from Warsaw, Poland, who teaches people to fly.
Robert, 42, is a flight attendant and Kelly, 41, is a wife and mother of two, from Grapevine, US.
Kelly writes: ''My teammate, Rob, is not only my husband and best friend, but a person I respect because of his compassion toward all people. After the tsunami hit in December of 2004, he was not content to just send money for relief.
''That January he jumped on a plane with no plans other than to go help where help was needed the most. He found himself in Karon cleaning up rubbish and building a sea wall.
''He then went to Phi Phi Don to help do the same. I admire him not only for this act of kindness but also for the love and joy he finds in everything he does.''
