Photo via Tourism Malaysia
As you know, tourism is one of the main sectors hampered by the coronavirus pandemic, but it means it’s a chance for us to boost local tourism, and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture’s (MOTAC) has been taking steps to do just that.
Recently, MOTAC through Tourism Malaysia formed an unexpected collaboration with Canadian-born food vlogger Trevor James, famously known as The Food Ranger, for a new series of food exploration vlogs titled The Ultimate Malaysian Road Trip, which were uploaded on his social media platform in September and October 2020.
If you follow James, you’ll know that he and his wife, Xie Chuiting, moved to Malaysia in 2019 under the Malaysia My Second Home Programme, and he has been filming food and travel vlogs since March 2013 and his YouTube channel has grown to have more than 4 million subscribers today.
The Ultimate Malaysian Road Trip involves destinations of traditional and popular local delicacies in the states of Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan, for a purely food-based journey, bringing viewers along to many unique locations and restaurants in these states.
Some highlights from the trip were Ikan Patin Tempoyak in Temerloh, Ikan Bakar Petai in Kuantan, White Laksam in the beautiful Kampung Jambu Bongkok in Terengganu, Ikan Celup Tepung, Ketupat Sotong, Satar, Nasi Kerabu, Nasi Dagang, Akok, and many more.
With this project, the total value of publicity received by Tourism Malaysia on The Food Ranger’s Facebook page is 128 million views and 262 million impressions, as well as 5 million views for seven videos on The Food Ranger’s YouTube channel.
Minister Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri, who presented James with a certificate of appreciation last Thursday (December 10th), said she hopes such collaborations will continue and more international influencers in Malaysia will be recognised.
“In this era of digitalisation and social media, we hope that more international influencers will come over, like what Trevor has done, to help promote the Malaysian tourism industry. We also hope that Trevor’s work is the beginning of similar joint efforts and will open doors to more collaborations in the future,” she said.
Here’s a preview of The Ultimate Malaysian Road Trip:
by Kyle Roshen Jacob
