Beginning today, gay couple Ben Reed and Brian Sommer will undertake a six-day exploration of Pattaya, Thailand, in hopes of winning $10,000 for their efforts to promote Thailand as a vacation destination.
Reed and Sommer, who reside in Orlando, Florida, are one of five couples - and only openly gay couple - selected as finalists by The Tourism Authority of Thailand in their social media competition: Ultimate Thailand Explorers. As part of the competition, the teams of competitors must visit attractions and participate in various activities at their chosen destinations and then share their experiences by uploading videos, photos, and stories on various Web site and social networking outlets such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
To be selected as finalists, Reed and Sommer underwent an extensive vetting process including submitting a one-minute YouTube video (see below) explaining why they want to go to Thailand and how they would promote their chosen destination. Selected as one of 25 semi-finalists from more than 200 applicants from dozens of countries, the pair next had to solicit top votes from Internet users from around the world. As finalists, the couple will now seek the most votes from online registered voters in an effort to be named the Ultimate Thailand Explorers and receive $10,000 cash and other prizes.
“Neither of us have been to Thailand before, so we are looking forward to learning about the culture, sampling the local cuisine and, of course, discovering the many attractions and beaches that Pattaya has to offer”, said Sommer.
Voting will take place from now through January 8, 2010 at the official competition site, www.ultimatethailandexplorers.com. Supporters may cast there vote for Reed and Sommer once every 24 hours. Those who register to vote will also have a chance to win $2,500 and other prizes, courtesy of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Reed and Sommer's updates can be found here:
Twitter: twitter.com/benandbrianthai
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Ultimate-Thailand-Explorers-Ben-Brian/128431649795
Flickr: flickr.com/photos/benandbrianthai
YouTube: youtube.com/user/benandbrianthai
Wayn: wayn.com/profiles/benandbrianthai
Blog: www.ultimatethailandexplorers.com/blog/pattaya
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