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Beauties 'work their magic'
20/05/2005 12:27 - (SA)
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| Miss USA frolics on the beach at the Dusit Laguna Resort in Phuket. (AP)
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Phuket - Miss Universe contestants descended on the resort islands of Phuket and Phi Phi on Thursday to check in on post-tsunami reconstruction and remind the world that Thai tourism is back in business.
While some of the 81 contestants vying for the crown held by current Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins snorkelled along Thailand's southern coast, others visited a hospital that cared for victims of December's disaster and observed Patong beach's new tsunami warning system.
Host Thailand has promoted this year's pageant as an opportunity to showcase Asia's rebound from the giant waves, and many of the contestants from countries affected by the catastrophe felt the tug of emotion as they visited Phuket.
"It's close to my heart," Miss India Amrita Thapar said of the regional recovery effort.
'Asia has what it takes...'
"These countries were affected by the tsunami, and it's a step in the right direction to have us here, not just in the beauty pageant but supporting the cause and letting people know that Asia has what it takes to move on."
Thai officials and entrepreneurs were bending over backwards to present the kingdom as a tsunami zone that has battled back from disaster to reclaim its spot as Southeast Asia's most popular tourist destination.
"The Thai spirit is very much alive and undaunted by the challenges of recovery," Kittikorn Kewkacha, chief executive officer of the Phuket FantaSea theme park, told the beauty queens.
Somsak Thepsutin, the minister of tourism and sport, said the pageant's visit to Phuket would serve as a huge plug for Thailand's beaches, which are major draws for the more than 10 million tourists who visit here each year.
"The images of a tsunami-hit island are gone," he said. "It is not as it was before... and having Miss Universe here brings beauty to Phuket."
On nearby Phi Phi, scene of the Hollywood movie The Beach, half a dozen contestants frolicked in the surf and snorkelled, but they were kept away from the worst-hit parts of the once-idyllic island.
The contestants are engaged in three weeks of official events in the run-up to the final showcase in Bangkok on May 31, when a new Miss Universe will be crowned.
- AFP
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