Asian superstar meets Island Caretaker on Great Barrier Reef
Posted by editor (editor) on Oct 13 2009
2009 >>

Asian A-list actress Karen Mok has just spent a week in Queensland filming an episode of popular travel log ‘One Life One Earth,’ Tourism Minister Peter Lawlor said today.

Mr Lawlor said Karen, who’s visit will be broadcast to more than one million viewers, met with Ben Southall Tourism Queensland’s Island Caretaker while here.

“Karen’s visit has been a wonderful opportunity to showcase Queensland product China, Hong Kong and Taiwan – three of Queensland’s most significant Asian markets,” Mr Lawlor said.

“Queensland is a popular destination for visitors from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong who place a strong emphasis on the power of celebrities and major brands to sell products.

“Karen is an internationally recognized, award-winning actress who has appeared in nearly 40 films, including Shaolin Soccer, one of the highest-grossing films in Hong Kong’s history, and Fallen Angels, for which she was honoured with a Hong Kong Film Award.

“She was also the first female artist from Hong Kong to win Taiwan’s prestigious Golden Melody Award, the equivalent of the Grammy Award in the Mandarin music market, and is fluent in Mandarin, English, Italian and French.

“The A-list celebrity specifically requested to meet Tourism Queensland’s Island Caretaker Ben Southall.

“Karen’s first stop in Queensland was Hamilton Island where she was welcomed by Ben and spent the day working on a wildlife protection project, before flying over Heart Reef and touching down on Whitehaven Beach.”

Mr Lawlor said Tourism Queensland and Tourism Australia had worked together to bring Karen to Queensland to host the program which would showcase a variety of Queensland destinations.

“Karen went diving on the Great Barrier Reef, fed the dolphins at Tangalooma, visited an animal hospital at Currumbin and enjoyed surfing on the Gold Coast,” he said.

“Karen’s visit is sure to generate a huge amount of exposure for Queensland in all three markets.”

Mr Lawlor said as part of Ben’s six-month stint as Caretaker of the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef, he regularly hosted visiting journalists and celebrities.

“The Best Job in the World campaign has had a cult like following in several of Queensland’s key Asian markets,” he said.

“Earlier in the year Taiwan rallied behind candidate Clare Wang and voted her into the Top 16 as the wild card candidate, receiving 151,676 votes – almost three times that of her nearest competitor.

“Karen’s visit highlights yet another opportunity for Ben to promote his experiences internationally and keep Queensland top-of-mind as a favourite holiday destination in key international markets.”

Mr Lawlor said the latest International Visitor Survey for the year ending June 2009 revealed more than 222,000 travellers from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan visited Queensland, contributing a combined total of $477 million for the Queensland economy.

“Our aim is to increase the visibility and presence of Queensland destinations and products in our international markets and Karen’s visit is the perfect opportunity for us to generate some more interest in Queensland,” he said.

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Media enquiries
Minister’s Office – 3225 1005
Tourism Queensland – 3535 5010

Last changed: Oct 13 2009 at 9:28 AM