Counties shell out Sh90m for Miss Tourism beauty contest
Preparations are in top gear for the national Miss Tourism beauty contest to be held in Vihiga County at a cost of Sh90 million.
The event will bring together beauties from each of the 47 counties who will take part in the competitions expected to start on May 22 and end on May 29.
The theme of the event is, “Exploring cultural heritage for social and economic development“.
Governor Moses Akaranga said the competitions will attract close to 5,000 delegates.
According to the programme of events arrived at by the national Miss Tourism Kenya office and the tourism department in the county, all the 47 beauties will meet at Peace Caravan in Nairobi on May 10.
PEACE TORCH
“The 47 will then begin their procession to Vihiga County while carrying a peace torch. They will make stop overs in the counties along Nairobi Kisumu highway,” reads the event programme.
The counties include Nairobi, Kiambu, Nakuru, Kericho, Kisumu and Vihiga itself.
The peace torch, according to the planners of the event, is a symbol of manifestation of peace ahead of the 2017 General Elections.
All the beauties are expected to arrive in Vihiga County on May 12 from where they will make visits to various tourism sites in the Western and Nyanza circuit from May 13 to May 19.
The Governor’s press director Mr Peter Atsiaya, who is also a member of the committee at the county level, said the beauties will be accompanied by the media to the various tourism attraction sites they will visit.
BOOT CAMP
After the tour visits, the queens from the 47 counties will be taken into a boot camp session from May 20 to May 24 where they will undergo a five days induction training session.
This session will be conducted within the host county.
After the training session, they will then be received formally in the county by Governor Akaranga at the county headquarters in Mbale on May 25.
A brief cultural ceremony will be held at the same venue to enable the competitors showcase their various traditions and culture embraced in their different counties. Several other guests from across the country will be in attendance.
An extravaganza night has been planned at Municipal Grounds in Mbale on May 26 where local musicians will entertain the beauties and other guests.
DESIGNER FASHIONS
This will pave way for the beauties to showcase various designer fashions embraced by their different cultural backgrounds at the same venue on May 27.
Governor Akaranga will then treat the beauties and other governors to a dinner night at a Vihiga Hotel on May 28.
Finals for the event will be held at Kidundu stadium on the night of May 29 to crown the national Miss Tourism Kenya in an event dubbed “Colour Night”.
Mr Akaranga decribed hosting of the event as a “a great blessing for the county” as it will bring the national focus on the county and help market its tourism potential”.
The county has in the past complained of accommodation crisis as the region is yet to embrace real estate investment.
The county only boasts of 11 main hotels spread across it and consists of lodging facilities with a total capacity of 300 rooms that charge between Sh1,000 and Sh5,000 for one night.
This will mean most of the participants and guests may be forced to seek accommodation services from the neighbouring counties of Kisumu and Kakamega.
