Puerto Rico welcomes Miss World contestants
San Juan, Nov 19 (EFE).- Contestants from across the world for the 70th edition of the Miss World beauty pageant will start landing in Puerto Rico on Sunday.
A total of 106 women are likely to partake in the beauty pageant, with the finale set on Dec.16 at the San Juan Coliseum.
For 26 days, the contestants will participate in various activities to learn about Puerto Rico and its history.
The event is for the first time taking place in a Spanish-speaking territory.
The oldest global beauty pageant that began in 1951 will generate an expected revenue of about $150 million for Puerto Rico in tourism advertising.
After their arrival, the candidates will stay at the Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico hotel, in the Río Grande, a municipality on the east coast of the island.
Actor-producer Fernando Allende stressed that the production of the contest was one of the most important television broadcasts worldwide, with an audience of 500 million viewers in 170 territories around the world.
“Miss World turns 70 and comes to celebrate the event in Puerto Rico,” said Allende, whose paternal grandfather was born on the island.
He said it was the chance for the country, known for its sun-kissed beaches, clear blue waters, breathtaking rain forest, and majestic mountains, to showcase its beauty and culture.
Allende said the Puerto Rican government had joined the private initiative for the event.
Lady Wilnelia Forsyth, who became the first Puerto Rican Miss World in 1975, is already on the island to participate in various activities of the event.
The organizers would comply with Covid-19 protocols by the government.
Candidates and the staff working for the event will have to show vaccination proof to participate in various activities.
In the past 69 years, only 15 Latinas have managed to win the beauty pageant.
Among the winning countries is Venezuela six times, Puerto Rico (2), Peru (2), Argentina (2), Dominican Republic (1), Brazil (1), and Mexico (1).
The current Miss World is Toni-Ann Singh, from Jamaica, who won the crown in 2019.
The 2020 edition got delayed due to the global health crisis sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic. EFE
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