KUCHING: The Miss Tourism International 2022 World Final, which will be held here in November, will bring beauty queens and cats together in an event to boost tourism.
The pageant's organising chairman Esther Law said the Cats Around the World festival and expo aimed to attract visitors, particularly cat lovers, to the state capital.
"Why are we promoting Kuching with cats? It is because the cat, or 'kucing' in Bahasa Malaysia, is the city's mascot," she said when signing a memorandum of understanding with Farley Group on the event here on Friday (July 22).
Law said the event would showcase portraits of the pageant finalists with cats at Farley Mall here on Nov 18-20.
There will also be cat-themed activities such as educational talks and a colouring contest for children.
"Once all the finalists are announced in October, they will be asked to take a photo of themselves posing with a cat from their country," she said, adding that participants from 60 countries were expected to take part in the pageant.
Sarawak Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Sebastian Ting said the ministry supported events such as the Miss Tourism International pageant which would bring in tourists to the state.
"This event will also promote Sarawak's culture and creative industry," he said.
Themed "Bringing the World to Sarawak", the Miss Tourism International World Final will be held from Nov 10 to 27 with a series of pre- and post-events.
The grand final will take place on Nov 25.
