Beijing, July 24: China would offer a red carpet welcome to 117 contestants, including one from India, at the 2003 Miss World pageant, which it would be hosting for the first time in history, a top official of the host city has said. Preparations for the final round of the pageant, to be held on December six in Sanya, a major city in the picturesque south China island province of Hainan, is going on smoothly, its Mayor Chen Ci said.
Sanya city is making full preparations to host the final round are proceeding smoothly, he said.
Hainan, famous for its tropical climate and tourism resources, is one of the very few Chinese provinces which remained free from the recent deadly outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
Chen said the construction of "crown of the beauty" at a cost of 120 million Yuan (about 15 million us dollars), a conference and exhibition centre designed specifically for the pageant, is almost complete.
Julia Morley, the executive chairwoman of the pageant's organising committee, said that she was fascinated by China's beautiful scenery and profound culture, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Miss World pageant, launched in 1951, lists "promoting world peace and helping needy children" as its primary goals.
A source from the tourism bureau of Hainan province said that the city is also planning to hold a series of entertainment programmes during the pageant period.

Bureau Report