September 19 (AFP) — Guatemala aspires to host the Miss Universe beauty pageant in 2013 as a way to promote the country as a worldwide tourism destination, as informed by the director of the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism (INGUAT), Pedro Duchez.
“We are trying to bring the Miss Universe competition to the country, with a tv show that is seen by millions of spectactors and with three weeks of non-stop exposure in the international media” commented Duchez during an interview with Guatemalan newspaper Prensa Libre.
According to Duchez, Guatemala’s bid would represent an investment of USD 3 million, so he is hoping that the private sector will participate in the organization.
Duchez said that possible scenarios to promote during the pageant would be the capital city, the colonial city of Antigua and the departments of Quetzaltenango, Chichicastenango and Peten, famous for their archaeological finds.
“Executives from the Miss Universe Organization already visited the country. There are some requirements as for hotel capacity and venue. We consider that we do have the infrastructure”, he added.
Reports from the INGUAT indicate that 1.3 million tourists visited Guatemala in the first semester of 2012. In 2011, the total number was of 1.8 million visitors.
Tourism is one of Guatemala’s main income sources. Official data states that tourism in 2011 made 18% more earnings than coffee, the country’s main exporting product. Agence France-Presse (Global Beauties)
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