THE WINNER: Aileen Gabriella Robinson waves after she was crowned Miss Tourism International 2011 as (from left) Amanda Leong Li Ting and Carolina Del Carmen Brid Cerrud look on — Bernama photo
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s Aileen Gabriella Robinson defeated 10 other international contestants in the grand final to be crowned Miss Tourism International (MTI) 2011 at the Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa, here, Saturday night.
Robinson, 22, was one of the 54 contestants representing their respective countries.
Reigning Miss Tourism International Nathalie Den Dekker from the Netherlands handed over the crown to the new queen.
The crowning of Miss Tourism International was telecast live over RTM1, and witnessed by thousands of revellers at Dataran Merdeka, prior to the 2012 countdown.
Celebrating its 15th Anniversary, the Miss Tourism International is unique in the sense since it is the only New Year Eve’s Pageant to be held in the world and it also culminates to the biggest countdown, with delegates from 54 countries welcoming a brand new year.
Also present were Deputy Information, Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Maglin Dennis D’Cruz, president and owner of MTI Datuk Danny Ooi and chairman of Sunway Group Tan Sri Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Cheah.
The judges for the final were Chef Wan, supermodel Amber Chia, former Miss Malaysia Queen of Tourism 1996 Zoee Tan, artist and music lecturer Syafinaz Selamat and producer and choreographer David Kort.
The Miss Tourism International is a platform to promote tourism for the hosting country and at the same time to promote peace, goodwill, and friendship among participating countries.
The 18-day event saw delegates engaging in many promotional and charity activities.
Miss Tourism International 2011 Winners:
Miss Tourism International: Aileen Gabriella Robinson (Malaysia)
Miss Tourism Metropolitan International: Carolina Del Carmen Brid Cerrud (Panama)
Miss Tourism Global: Patsaraporn Khonkhamhaeng (Thailand)
Miss Cosmopolitan International: Amanda Leong Li Ting (Singapore)
Dream girl of the Year International: Jana Kopecka (Czech Republic). — Bernama