“Despite the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic placed in our path, we knew how to maintain the balance between health and the economy, to bring tourism back to Israel,” said Israeli Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov.
“The choice of Eilat will continue to strengthen its position as a leading international tourist city,” said Eilat Mayor Eli Lankri.
Eilat will host the 70th Miss Universe competition which will be aired live on December 12, the Miss Universe Organization, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism and the southern Israeli city announced.
Israeli singer and international star, Noa Kirel, will perform at the competition.
“I’m so excited and honored to be performing at Miss Universe,” said Kirel. “By believing in themselves and fearlessly chasing their dreams, these women from around the world live and breathe the values of the Miss Universe Organization, and I can’t wait to share this celebratory moment with all of them on this incredible global stage.”
This year’s competition will also feature two other contestants from the region: Miss Universe United Arab Emirates and Miss Universe Morocco. This will mark the first time that a delegate from the United Arab Emirates has competed in the competition. Additionally, Miss Universe Morocco returns to the competition for the first time in over four decades.
“Despite the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic placed in our path, we knew how to maintain the balance between health and the economy, to bring tourism back to Israel,” said Israeli Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov. “We needed to create tourism anchors that will promote and present Israel to the world as a vaccination nation that invites tourists to visit. The Miss Universe pageant is without doubt an important and significant anchor of this plan.”
The organization also unveiled details for the competition’s venue, a state-of-the-art, bespoke arena. The custom “Universe Arena,” which was imported from Portugal, rises to a height of 16.5 meters and has the capacity to hold over 70 tons of equipment. The building is treated to accommodate television filming and contains a stage and approximately 5,000 seats.
Senior members of the Miss Universe Organization were in Israel throughout October to tour the country and attend planning meetings. They met with Mayor of Eilat, Eli Lankri, and closely supervised the infrastructure and construction work of the Miss Universe complex.
“The choice of Eilat will continue to strengthen its position as a leading international tourist city,” said Lankri. “Hundreds of millions of spectators around the globe will be able to enjoy the rare beauty of the city of Eilat and its spectacular sites.”
The competition, in addition to celebrating the past 70 years of championing strong women and their platforms, will also shine a spotlight on the issue of global warming as part of a green agenda that corresponds with the values of the host country. Using the Miss Universe platform, the December 12th production will highlight both the bold contestants of the past and the social and global issues they faced in their time, and the fact that climate change is on the world agenda for the next generation of women.