Promoting the image of Italy and Chinese tourism in the country with innovative ideas, through the use of social media and the engagement of the most popular photography bloggers. This was the idea behind #Italiantaste, the photo contest organised by the Italian Embassy in Beijing and addressed to Chinese tourists who visited Italy.
“The first edition of the ‘Week of Italian Cuisine in the World’ just recently ended in China. The Chinese participated enthusiastically in our events, which has encouraged us to press ahead and promote Chinese tourism in our country even further, placing a special focus on food and cuisine,” said Italian Ambassador to China, Ettore Sequi. “This new edition of the photo contest differs from the previous one, that was dedicated to UNESCO sites, precisely because of the active participation of Chinese social media, through a partnership with Sina Weibo (a Chinese Facebook equivalent) and Yizhibo (a Chinese Periscope equivalent),” underlined Sequi. Over 20,000 Chinese netizens followed live the opening press conference on the Embassy’s Weibo account. Until 28 February, 2017 all tourists who travelled to Italy with a visa released by the Italian diplomatic and consular network in China will be able to post their best Italian-cuisine-related photo on their Weibo profiles using the #Italiantaste hashtag and tagging the Embassy. A jury, including also one of China’s most popular photo bloggers, will select the 30 best shoots. They will be published on the photo contest site and voted by the public.
The prize will be a trip to Sardinia. The winner will be hosted in one of the most exclusive resorts on the Island and receive Italian wine and food products.
