| For the women who have come to Bangkok from around the world to compete for the title of Miss Universe, the reward is global fame.
But for Thailand, the competition represents a chance to earn the nation an estimated Bt3.2 billion.
Speaking to reporters after leading 17 Miss Universe contestants to conduct a photo session with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra at the Government House here yesterday, Tourism and Sports Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said that hosting the competition was extremely lucrative for Thailand, as it had spent only Bt265 million on helping organize the event, but would earn around Bt3.2 billion.
The contest, to be held in the kingdom between 13-31 May, is seen by the government as a perfect opportunity to publicize Thailand as a top-class tourism destination to over 800 million viewers across the globe.
"This is the first time that the Miss Universe company has agreed to allow the Miss Universe contestants to take part in publicity advertising for free", Mr. Somsak noted, adding that the organizers of the contest were keen to help Thailand recover from the December tsunami.
On 19 May the contestants are scheduled to travel to the country's southern resort island of Phuket, an opportunity which the government is seizing on as a means to show the world that the kingdom's Andaman region has already largely recovered from the tsunami on 26 December last year.
By: MCOT, Thailand
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