Sri Lanka secures bid to host Miss Tourism World 2022 grand finale

From left:  Miss Tourism World - Spain 2022 Maria Del Carmen Benedicto, Miss Tourism World 2022 National Director Malith Ranasinghe, Tourism State Minister Diana Gamage, State Tourism Ministry Coordinating Secretary and Chief Advisor Dr. Arosha Fernando, Miss Tourism World 2022 Global Director David Singh, Ceylon Extreme Adventures CEO Nath Dharmasen. Pic by Nimalsiri Edirisinghe

By Kamanthi Wickramasinghe
Sri Lanka has secured the bid to host the Miss Tourism World 2022 pageant in December this year, after competing against 15 countries. 

Sri Lanka won the bid against Croatia and Spain as the final three competing countries with the assurance that the contestants would be guaranteed a safe and memorable experience amidst the prevailing economic crisis.

During a recently held press briefing to announce the event Miss Tourism World National Director Malith Ranasinghe said that he was able to secure the bid following lengthy discussions with the organisers and the international organization.  “At a time when the country is suffering from an economic crisis, I think this is a great opportunity to boost the tourism sector as well as the economy. There will be 80 contestants from 80 countries participating at this pageant and many of them may not even have heard about Sri Lanka. So here’s an opportunity for us to go international as they would certainly promote the various locations they will visit and their experience via social media platforms,” he added.

Speaking at the event, Tourism State Minister Diana Gamage said that this is a milestone for Sri Lanka. 
“It’s the 75th Miss Tourism World pageant and I’m honoured to be the State Tourism Minister when this happens. Sri Lanka is in a crisis today because tourism is one of the revenue earners for the country.  

Within the past two and a half years we have had a terrible decline of tourists since the Easter Sunday attacks followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. But, we are managing to raise our heads again thanks to all other countries which have placed their trust in us. It’s going to be a big event and as I always say, Sri Lanka is a beautiful country,” she said.
“We may have an economic crisis in this country but we are not bankrupt in our weather, soil, smiles and our hearts. We are always rich in every one of them. So, we like to welcome all these countries and we are a safe country. Amidst the crisis we have always been a safe country to travel to and I’m in the process of getting lifted several more travel bans imposed on the country,” she added.

Ceylon Extreme Adventures has joined hands with this coveted pageant to provide a one-of-a-kind experience for the contestants. Even though Sri Lanka is blessed with many waterfalls, mountain peaks etc., visitors can seldom get closer to these sites. This attempt is to take contestants on the lesser-known path to show them the hidden beauty of Sri Lanka.  “Adventure tourism is different to traditional tourism approaches such as taking tourists on site-seeing,” opined Ceylon Extreme Adventures Chief Executive Officer Nath Dharmasena. “Today, a tourist can book a hotel, arrive and explore the country on their own and leave, but that doesn’t give much opportunities for locals who depend on the tourism sector. Then there are experiences such as whale watching where tourists need some support.  But, Sri Lanka is blessed with many waterfalls, mountain peaks etc. We usually show a waterfall from afar but we don’t take them on that route. But, adventure tourism provides that platform to take tourists on lesser known trails.  We have the information and facilities such as equipment for abseiling. We also have equipment for camping, water rafting and other adventure sports. We also guarantee 100 percent safety. We joined hands with this pageant to provide these experiences to the contestants and project the true beauty of Sri Lanka to the world.”

The contestants will participate in mini pageants and the grand finale between December 8-21 and the organisers are planning to take the contestants to various destinations across the island from Kandy to Sigiriya, Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, Arugam Bay and Pasikudah. 

Miss Tourism World is one of the top five globally accepted pageants, and this year they will celebrate their 75th anniversary in Sri Lanka.