BAGUIO CITY October 19 – The city will be visited by the contestants of the 2017 Miss Universe when the Philippines hosts the beauty contest, a ranking tourism official said here recently.
Tourism Undersecretary Kat de Castro said organizers of the Miss Universe pageant included the country’s Summer Capital in the must see places for the contestants.
“The Philippines is ready to host the Miss Universe beauty pageant. We are in close coordination with the organizers to finish preparations before the January pageant. Coordination is also being done with the concerned agencies and local governments in places the contestants will visit in time before the pageant early next year,” de Castro stressed.
The DOT official claimed the beauty contestants will surely enjoy the various tourist destinations around the country being aggressively promoted as tourist destinations among foreigners coming from different parts of the global village.
According to her, the beauty contestants will serve as effective promoters of Philippine tourist spots in their respective countries as they will be talking from direct experience.
Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan expressed his gratitude, on behalf of the people and officialdom of the city, to the tourism officials for including Baguio in the itinerary of the contestants of the Miss Universe beauty pageant because it will surely be an added international exposure for the city.
He added the local government will make the appropriate preparations to welcome the contestants of the beauty contest once arrangements will be finalized so that the contestants will be informed and educated on the rich culture and traditions of the Cordillerans.
The local chief executive pointed out tourism is one of the major economic drivers of the local and national economy that is why the country’s hosting of the Miss Universe pageant is an added boost to the efforts of government agencies to aggressively promote the country as a preferred destination in the international scene.
Domogan emphasized the presence of the international media accompanying the contestants will definitely be an add-on to the promotion of the country as a must-see destination.**By Dexter A. See
