Miss World contestants wowed by Durban/SA
04. Dec, 2008
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Durban – Miss World 2008 contestants were wowed by Durban’s cosmopolitan diversity and friendly hospitality when they jetted into the city for a four-day beach and swimwear stint last week.
Their stay in Durban culminated in the official Miss World Beach Beauty contest, which took place the in pool area overlooking the Indian ocean at the luxurious Beverley Hills Hotel in Umhlanga.
The swimsuit contest fast-tracked the winner, Anagabriela Espinoza of Mexico, into the semi-final of Miss World 2008 Pageant, which takes place at the Sandton Convention Centre on December 13 in Johannesburg.
The bevy of 112 beauties from around the world vying for the 2008 Miss World crown, earlier in the week got a taste of Durban’s Indian heritage when they checked in to the Southern Sun Elangeni Hotel on the beachfront.
Despite the overcast weather that greeted them on the day they arrived, the contestants were treated to hot Indian food and dance South African-style on arrival at the hotel, complete with a Bollywood dance troupe, tandoori chicken and samoosas.
“It is really exciting to be hosting 112 of the most beautiful women in the world at Southern Sun. They took up four floors at our hotel in Durban . . . Miss World is a prestigious event and it will do a lot to showcase Durban and South Africa,” said Mike Jackson, general manager of Southern Sun Elangeni and head of the Durban Chamber’s tourism committee.
The Southern Sun Hotels Group had secured the rights of being “the official home of the Miss World 2008″. The women competing in what is now the longest-running beauty contest in the world are spending almost a month in South Africa as part of the extravaganza.
Besides the official host city of Johannesburg in Gauteng, the contestants have stayed in three provinces – Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.
The move comes after Johannesburg had secured hosting rights to the 58th Miss World Final, over the likes of London, Seoul and Hong Kong – following the event being taken away from Kiev earlier this year as a result of political instability in Russia. The main gala pageant next Saturday will be broadcast live to more than two billion people in 220 countries around the world.
Speaking to The Mercury in Durban last week, Julia Morley, executive chairman of the Miss World Organisation, said she was impressed by the warmth and hospitality of SA and its people.
“All of us, including the contestants, are just loving this country. This is the sixth time that South Africa has hosted the Miss World contest, but there is certainly something special about this year’s event in South Africa. Everywhere we go, we have been made to feel so welcome by everyone we meet and interact with,” she said.
“With a record 112 contestants, we are happy to be hosts to the biggest Miss World Pageant having surpassed the previous record of 107 contestants in 2004,” said Lindiwe Mahlangu, chief executive of the Johannesburg Tourism Company and former Durban Africa boss.
“We aim to use this event to help showcase the best South Africa |has to offer – including the variety, beauty and cultural diversity of our country. We also want to dispel misconception about the country and our preparation for hosting the 2010 Fifa World Cup,” she said.
Mahlangu said: “It was an obvious choice for us to bring the contestants to KwaZulu-Natal because it is the best beach location in South Africa. We wanted to take advantage of this by opting to have the official Miss World Beach Beauty contest and photo-shoot here. This is besides the fact that this is my hometown,” she said.
My name is Muzi Mohale a full-time travel blogger, your host at Travelwires.com responsible for all editorial on this blog. I blog about the travel and tourism industry in Africa. Apart from blogging about tourism, I also run 
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