Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, known internationally for her role in X-Men: Days of Future Past, will be awarded a Datukship in Melaka this Sunday (Aug 24).
According to NST, the investiture ceremony will be held during the birthday celebration of Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Dr Mohd Ali Rustam.
Honored for boosting Melaka’s global presence
Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusof also confirmed to The Star on Thursday (Aug 21) during the groundbreaking ceremony for SM Pay Fong’s new hostel building.
He said the award recognizes Fan’s efforts in promoting Melaka as a global tourism destination.
She has helped catapult the historic city into the global tourism spotlight, and we deeply appreciate her efforts,” he said.
Fan will receive the “Datuk Kehormat” (Honorary Datuk), which also carries the title “Datuk”.
A key role in Visit Melaka Year 2024
Fan was appointed as Melaka’s Tourism Friendship Ambassador in May last year in conjunction with Visit Melaka Year 2024.
Since then, her campaigns have brought huge online attention, with the state recording more than 1.5 billion impressions on China’s WeChat platform.
The surge is seen as one of Malaysia’s biggest digital tourism milestones.
On top of that, arrivals of Chinese tourists to Melaka jumped from 204,818 in 2023 to 664,687 last year.
Recent appearances in Malaysia
The 43-year-old actress recently attended a high tea at The Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur.
She also announced her return to Malaysia on her social account before her arrival.
Later today, she is expected to appear at the launch of a beauty product at The Exchange TRX in Kuala Lumpur.
