KOTA KINABALU: The Malaysian beauties competing in three national pageants – Miss World Malaysia, Miss Grand Malaysia and Miss Supranational Malaysia – here this weekend have been urged to promote Sabah through their respective social media channels.
The 24 finalists are already in town, with the coronation of all three pageant winners to take place on Saturday (Aug 27) at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC).
It is part of the two-day Hyperlive Festival Malaysia 2022, with a taichi exhibition to promote well-being, a fashion show and live concert scheduled for Sunday (Aug 28).
State Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said pageantry and tourism complemented each other in his view.
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“I hope the contestants can use their social media influence to help spread the word about Sabah, as well as what they will be doing here.
“The involvement of participants from various backgrounds can improve cross-cultural understanding and establish new connections, which can have a positive impact on tourism, economic progress and humanitarian efforts,” he told a press conference on the event here on Tuesday (Aug 23).
The event, hosted by Hyperlive Entertainment and Fantastic Golden, will see Kota Kinabalu hosting three of Malaysia’s most popular beauty pageants simultaneously for the first time ever.
Bangkuai, who is also Sabah Tourism Board (STB) chairman, said such major events are welcomed as they aligned with STB and the ministry's vision and initiatives to bring important events such as cultural, trade, conference, beauty and fashion shows to the state.
“In addition, making SICC a stage for spectacular shows would certainly help increase Sabah’s reputation as a preferred events destination, while promoting the splendour of our own convention centre to the world,” he added.
The three pageants' national director Dr Sean Wong said for the first time ever, the competitions will be streamed live and available to non-ticket holders.
“This is a way to bring it to a global (audience)... we plan to stream it live on Youtube, Hyperlive.tv and other social media platforms,” he added.
Sabah Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Satta) chairman Datuk Seri Winston Liaw, who was also at the press conference, hoped that the events will bring more international visitors to the state.
"Sabah has been too dependent on the Chinese and South Korean markets, so we hope to attract more westerners, and hosting these pageants will help with that,” he added.
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