A Gqeberha woman’s pride in SA’s spectacular beauty and rich culture has resulted in her being selected to represent the country in the Mr and Miss Model of Tourism world pageant.
Had it not been for the Covid-19 pandemic, 22-year-old Xolisa Maseti would soon be cat-walking on a Jamaican runway promoting SA’s diversity, but, the competition has been moved online.
Mr and Miss Model of Tourism aims to promote tourism, culture, charity and youth development through modelling.
The world title holders, picked from 30 finalists, will travel abroad and promote diversity during their reign.
Maseti, a tourism enthusiast, said she had dreamt of travelling abroad since she was a little girl.
“Growing up I have always wanted to travel abroad and interact with people from different parts of the world, while also borrowing their lens to view the world.
“I believe tourism is one of the best ways to learn documented and undocumented histories and cultures of different societies,” Maseti said.
The 2019 Miss Eastern Cape Beauty finalist said she appreciated her country for its rich history and scenic tourism destinations.
“SA tourism has history attached to it.
“Beautiful stories are birthed from the beautiful tourism destinations all over our country.
“My favourite tourism destination is the Cango Caves in Oudtshoorn,” she said.
The 30 finalists will be tasked with challenges to complete from April, and will be judged on their attitude throughout the competition.
Judges will select world winners based on personality, physique, talent, responsibility and overall marketability.
All finalists will compete from their respective countries to avoid international travel.
They will be required to record themselves during judging rounds and submit the videos on specified dates.
The videos will be compiled and played during the virtual finale, where the title holders will be announced.
Mawande Qeqe, a South African member of the pageant’s board of directors, said the finale would be held in June. A date had not been decided on yet.
The finalists will go through various rounds including a social media campaign where the public will vote by liking their pictures, as well as a question-and-answer session.
“For one of the rounds, we will upload each contestant’s picture on Facebook and pick a winner for that round based on the number of likes.
“At a later stage, we will host a live session on social media where finalists will answer questions and be judged,” he said.
Qeqe said the pageant had been founded in 2020.
HeraldLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.