Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere is set to visit Bohol on December 8 as part of the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) bid to boost tourism in the country.
Mittenaere of France will be joined by Miss Russia, Miss Netherlands, Miss Korea and Miss Canada in her Bohol trip, said DOT Secretary Wanda Teo in a press conference in Makati City on Monday.
However, the DOT’s satellite office in Bohol refused to give details on which tourist destinations in the province the women will be visiting, citing security purposes for the nondisclosure.
According to Teo, newly crowned Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters and candidates from other countries will also be in the Philippines from December 6 to 10.
The four-day tour will have the contestants and titleholders divided into groups as they visit various tourist destinations in the country including Bohol, Camiguin, Batanes and Manila.
“When the Miss Universe Organization reached out to us to bring in the girls, we have specifically requested to bring in the candidates from our emerging destinations such as Russia, Netherlands, India, Italy, Spain, and Canada and contestants from our key market such as the United States, South Korea, Malaysia, China, Great Britain, and Singapore,” said Teo.
On December 7, the women will pay a courtesy call on President Rodrigo Duterte.
In a statement, the DOT said that the initiative was launched as a “marketing strategy” to promote the Philippines through the beauty contestants and titleholders particularly using their social media accounts.
“It will definitely promote the country considering that the ladies have a huge social media following,” said Teo.