ENCAC BIDS FAREWELL TO MISS ECO-TOURISM

MBABANE – Reigning Miss Eco-Tourism Eswatini will be representing the country in Durban for the finals of  the Miss Eco-tourism World.

By the time you read this, Miss Eco-Tourism Mirel Lopes will be one of over 20 contestants vying for the Miss Eco-Tourism World pageant title. Eswatini National Council of Arts and Culture (ENCAC) yesterday hosted a farewell ceremony for Lopes at the council’s offices in Manzini. It is worth noting that ENCAC CEO was not present during the ceremony but, ENCAC Chairperson Hhansense Dlamini was present alongside Acting Chairlady of Pageants Eswatini  Liviwe Makhubu and other relevant stakeholders. While addressing the audience, Makhubu congratulated Lopes on her trip to partake in the pageant finals and wished her well in representing the country. She also thanked the designers who worked tirelessly in designing outfits for Lopes.

Confident

“As a country we are confident and believe you are prepared to leave for Durban. We are positive that you will represent the country well in the international stage,” she said. When asked on how  much the trip cost, Makhubu said ENCAC took care of the trip expenses which  cost E20 000.   The amount covered  her competition entry fee, transport and outfits.

Dlamini went on to add, “ As ENCAC we would like to thank Pageants Eswatini for training and grooming this young lady as we believe she is ready to represent us well on the international stage. We would also like to thank her parents for grooming her to become the woman she is.” Lopes is a former Miss Eswatini contestant who partook in the biggest pageant in the Kingdom in 2017 and made it onto the top five.

Speaking during the event, she said she was looking forward to showing the world what Eswatini is all about and what it has to offer on the international level.
“I would like to thank everyone who assisted me along my journey as Miss Eco-Tourism Eswatini. Many thanks would have to go to my designers Tanele Tfwala, Velile Masinga and Carol Lubelo including Model Manifest Eswatini’s Catrien Potgieter for training me in readiness for the finals in Durban,” asserted Lopes.
She also thanked her parents for her upbringing as she said she would not be the woman she is today had it not been for them.

Lopes will be competing for the crown against contestants from countries including South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Lesotho,Liberia, Indonesia, China, Japan, Mexico, Botswana, Zambia, Ghana and Guinea Bissau to name a few. Her itinerary as of today will include a sponsored visit to uShaka Marine World where there will be a sports challenge and swimwear photoshoot at South Beach. This will be followed by an official photoshoot, an Eco-Tourism workshop and an afternoon game drive tomorrow.

Partake

On Thursday, she will partake in a charity which will include tree planting, wine tasting and Country souvenir exchange activities. Leading up to the main event, on Friday, there will be a trail walk and a visit to the Mandela Capture Site and the grand finale will be held on Saturday. Miss Eco-Tourism International is a pageant that celebrates women with a passion for saving the planet and making choices that are better for the environment and will be hosted in South Africa for the first time as there will be contestants from over 30 countries.

The lucky lady that will walk away with the coveted title will receive an exclusive designer crown, sash, a professional photographic session as the queen of 2020, a return flight to Durban for the International Pageant and prizes from sponsors of the event. The Winner of Miss Eco-Tourism will go on to compete at a much bigger stage in hopes of being crowned as Miss Eco-Tourism World 2020 which will also be held in Durban. Unlike most pageants, Miss Eco-Tourism has no height requirements and is open to any young girls between the ages of 17 and 26 years. Applicants though must be of African ethnicity.

This is a great platform for Africans to showcase the beauty in their countries and thereby promote tourism and cohesion in Africa. Miss Eco-Tourism is hosted by Yondela Sihlobo-Mlambo, who is a model and business mogul – Miss Eco-Tourism World is close to her heart as she too was once a pageant girl who entered and won titles both locally and continental.

This is not the first time a local pageant holder  represents the country in the international stage. In 2016, former Miss Tourism Eswatini Nadia Nascimento represented the country at Miss Tourism International in Malaysia. In the same breath, former Mr Swaziland Bonelelwe Makhanya partook in the Mr World pageant finals in 2014 after being crowned Mr Swaziland at the age of 21.

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