The first and only time the Miss Universe beauty pageant was held in the Dominican Republic was in 1977.
Almost 45 years later, the country’s event director, Magali Febles, has been looking for a way to replicate this opportunity.
Febles told the media’s journalists that the organizers of the international competition came to the country to inspect the area and gave “approval.” However, the procedure to be carried out here remains on hold due to the “lack of support” from the Dominican authorities.
“The only thing missing is the support of the Ministry of Tourism or President Luis Abinader. This is an event of great magnitude and the country benefits the most, the support of the Minister of Tourism is essential as it includes an economic part,” Febles said.
The cost of realizing this 71st edition of Miss Universe was around eight million dollars, but Febles admitted that he managed to “move pieces” to find sponsors, so now only 2.5 million dollars would be needed.
He insisted that “the benefits (of the competition taking place here) are invaluable”.
“500 to 800 journalists from different parts of the world came to promote the Dominican Republic in their countries. We would have a lot of importance in the United States… As the country is in a strategic zone in the Caribbean, it is estimated that between 30,000 and 40,000 people visit us,” he said.
And he added: “Every person who visits us for the Miss Universe pageant leaves a tangible asset in the country.”
For the Dominican beautician, the obstacle was that the authorities did not accept the regency as a topic of interest.
“What hinders the realization the most is the lack of acceptance of the level and benefits of this event for the country by tourism, its committee and the minister, who understand that this is not just a beauty pageant. It’s a competition that’s only compared to world events like the Super Bowl or the Olympics,” Febles said.
interest of the fans
Not only Magali is determined to hold this event in the Dominican Republic. There are fans who yearn to witness a Miss Universe.
That’s why they created a campaign called “#yoquieromissuniverseenrd” with the aim of working together so that the venue is not lost.
So far, they haven’t set a deadline to give a formal response, but Febles revealed that “he remains hopeful” before authorities respond.
“Hopefully today we get that confirmation call from the state so that our country can start being the center of world attention,” Magali Febles said.
According to the queen formation expert, this event is televised in 173 countries.