Miss Universe contestants from all over the world have been streaming into Bangkok since yesterday, ahead of the finals which will be held in the city’s outskirts next month.
Last night, Miss Universe Thailand Sophida Kanchanarin led a troop of international contestants into a press conference at Dusit Thani Hotel. Yesterday was the first day for contestants from 95 countries to report to the Miss Universe committee in Bangkok, which last hosted the pageant in 2005.
We live in a country where holding pageant-type contests is pretty much a national pastime (especially Miss Universe!), so we can predict with some certainty that the contestants’ trips around the country will draw extra attention from local fans.
Sophida said that she will do her best to teach her fellow contestants Thai language and culture, and she has handed a little welcome gift — a fan — to them. (They will surely need it.)
For many of the contestants, including Miss USA Sarah Summers, Miss Honduras Vanessa Villars, and Miss Angolo Ana Liliana Avião, it is their first trip to Thailand.
Also, this marks the first year in which transgender women are permitted to enter the Miss Universe competition. The first contestant to do so will be Angela Ponce, representing Spain, who landed in the Thai capital just this morning.
