Representatives from Beijing Huayuan Int'l Travel and other three companies from Taiwan province, including ASUS Design Centre, XinMedia and Yahoo! Taiwan, have joined in Queensland, Australia, on Aug 23 as the finalists to win the Million Dollar Memo - 1 million Australian dollars worth of Queensland incentive travel experiences awarded by Tourism Queensland (TQ), the state tourism bureau.

They face 16 other companies worldwide. For eight days, the finalists participate in a range of activities in a variety of amazing destinations including the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, the Whitsundays and Tropical North Queensland.

They are required to picture their thrilling experiences all throughout the way and upload their photos onto TQ's website.

They also need to create an e-postcard everyday and choose their best ones to address the panel at the final presentation contest.

"Over the next week they (these finalists) will be under the microscope to see who best represents their company to walk away with the ultimate reward," said Jan Jarratt, Minister for Tourism, Small Business and Manufacturing.

The Million Dollar Memo tourism promotion campaign, which was launched in March and attracted 291 entries, aims to put Queensland on the map as one of the world's top incentive destinations.

"Tourism Queensland is partnering with the state's convention bureaus on a collaborative global incentive strategy which in pursuit of positioning Queensland as the region's leading incentive travel destination," said Anthony Hayes, CEO of TQ.

Hayes said the campaign wants to increase the understanding from incentive houses and companies about Queensland's unique destinations and diverse, quality experiences.

"With untouched reefs, pristine beaches, rainforests, ancient landforms, unimaginable outback spaces and unique wildlife, as well as modern, safe and unpolluted cities and towns, Queensland is a destination that offers the perfect blend of quintessential Australian experiences." he said.

The final winner will be announced on Aug 31.

"I believe these 20 individuals, whether they win or not, will leave the event having experienced some of Queensland's most amazing destinations and experiences," Jarratt said.

"When they return to their workplaces we hope they can tell their bosses how Queensland can be one of the best places in the world to reward their staff."