Social Media Travel Competition Winners
Posted by Pixelhead
The following is a press release about a cool opportunity for two Social Media Travelers. I was contacted by Ben, who asked me if I would share their story with the readers of this and my other travel blog. Please consider adding them on their various other networks and helping them with their cause.
Orlando, Florida – 19 November 2009 – Orlando Residents Ben Reed and Brian Sommer have been selected as finalists by The Tourism Authority of Thailand in their social media competition: Ultimate Thailand Explorers. 
Beginning December 10th, Reed and Sommer will embark on a 6-Day assignment to Pattaya, Thailand where the couple will use social media websites such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to promote the Country of Thailand as a vacation destination. To be selected as finalists, Reed and Sommer underwent a grueling vetting process including submitting a 1-minute YouTube video explaining why they want to go to Thailand and how they would promote their chosen destination. Selected as 1 of 25 teams from over 200 applicants from dozens of countries, the pair next had to solicit the most votes from Internet users from around the world. On achieving this milestone Reed said, “We are thankful to the hundreds of fans and followers that voted for us each day.” He continued by adding, “we started with a blank website and in just a few short weeks, grew a twitter following that reached out to tens of thousands of individuals and built an integrated Facebook campaign asking people to vote for us.” Both Reed and Sommer are connected on traditional social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, but have also established a presence on Flickr, WAYN and have reached our to prominent travel bloggers too.
Reed and Sommer may be followed today on twitter at www.twitter.com/benandbrianthai as well as on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ultimate-Thailand-Explorers-Ben-Brian/128431649795. “Managing our social media sites is a full-time job,” Reed said. Their official blog address is www.ultimatethailandexplorers.com/blog/pattaya. The couple will compete against four additional teams in the Cities of: Bangkok, Phuket, Chang Mai and Koh Samui for the Grand Prize of $10,000 and the title of Ultimate Thailand Explorer. Prizes are also awarded to individuals who participate in voting in the Ultimate Thailand Explorers Competition. Voting will take place from 1 December 2009 – 8 January 2010 at the official competition site, www.ultimatethailandexplorers.com. “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”, said Sommer. “We are excited to share our adventures with our followers and fans and have plans to encourage them to connect with us while we are in the city”, he concluded. The Ultimate Thailand Explorers Competition follows similar efforts by tourism bureaus from around the globe. Locally in Orlando, the Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureaus selected 1 couple to capture their experiences at Orlando’s world-renowned attractions. And in Australia, Tourism Queensland selected 1 individual for the “Best Job in the World”. Inspired by family vacations as a child, Ben is a travel blogger at adventureswithben.com. Through engaging, humorous and candid experiences from his travels to Africa, Europe, South America, North America and Asia, Reed shares his passion for travel. His full-time job is with a training and development organization in Orlando. A physical therapist in Kissimmee, Brian is an avid traveler. His most memorable experiences include shark cage diving with Great White Sharks in Cape Town, South Africa and backpacking through Europe. Together they share a home in Orlando.
Written by Pixelhead on December 3rd, 2009 with
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#1. December 3rd, 2009, at 9:55 AM.
Congratulation to you! I am always thinking about the social media travel and it’s my all time favorite.thanks for sharing the links too.have a good time bye.