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| Wenieka Ewing, Miss Turks & Caicos 2005;
Viviana Arena, Miss Uruguay 2005; Chelsea Cooley, Miss USA 2005;
Tricia Homer, Miss US Virgin Islands 2005; Brooke
Johnston, Miss United Kingdom 2005; and Juliya Chernyshova, Miss Ukraine
2005, frolic on the beach during a Miss Universe 2005 competition remote shoot at
the Dusit Laguna Resort in Phuket, Thailand Thursday May
19, 2005.(AP Photo/Miss Universe) |
Miss Universe contestants descended on the resort islands of Phuket and
Phi Phi to check in on post-tsunami reconstruction and remind the world
that Thai tourism is back in business.
While some of the 81 contestants vying for the
crown held by current Miss Universe Jennifer Hawkins snorkeled
along Thailand's southern coast,
others visited a hospital that cared for victims of December's disaster
and observed Patong beach's new tsunami warning system.
Host Thailand has promoted this year's pageant as
an opportunity to showcase Asia's rebound from the giant waves, and many
of the contestants from countries affected by the catastrophe felt the
tug
of emotion as they
visited Phuket.
"It's close to my heart," Miss India Amrita Thapar told AFP of the
regional recovery effort.
"These countries were affected by the tsunami, and it's a step in the
right direction to have us here, not just in the beauty pageant but
supporting the cause and letting people know that Asia has what it takes
to move on."
Thai officials and entrepreneurs want to present the kingdom as a
tsunami zone that has battled back from disaster to reclaim its spot as
Southeast Asia's most popular tourist destination.
"The Thai spirit is very much alive and undaunted by the challenges of
recovery," Kittikorn Kewkacha, chief executive officer of the Phuket
FantaSea theme park, told the beauty queens.
Somsak Thepsutin, the minister of tourism and sport, said the pageant's
visit to Phuket would serve as a huge plug for Thailand's beaches, which
are major draws for the more than 10 million tourists who visit the
kingdom each year.
"The images of a tsunami-hit
island are gone," he told AFP. "It is not as it was before... and
having Miss Universe here brings beauty to Phuket."
(Agencies) | 
Updated: 2005-05-20 09:45
