Miss Jamaica World 2013 comes to the west

Mayor of Montego Bay and chairman of the St James Parish Council, Glendon Harris, has committed the municipal authority's support to the 37th staging of the Suzuki Miss Jamaica World Pageant slated for Sunday, July 21, at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

In what he described as a bold move by newly appointed franchise holder Laura Butler, the mayor said Montego Bay was well-equipped to host the event.

"Montego Bay is the most beautiful place in the Western Hemisphere. We have all the elements that make a great city in addition to an exceptional hospitality track record. We are a community that will ensure you have all the support required to ensure your bold move becomes a bold success," he said.

Harris said the pageant would benefit from the experience and skills within the city as Montego Bay was the "entertainment capital" of Jamaica.

"Of the events registered with the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission in 2012, 65 per cent were held in Montego Bay, including large events such as Reggae Sumfest, among others. We have all the facilities to accommodate an event of this magnitude," he said.

CREATIVE PACKAGE PLANNED

According to Butler, the event will be exciting, with an innovative and creative entertainment package which will be viewed on several platforms throughout the world.

"My team and I are working towards providing a wholesome experience for the participants and patrons as well as have a high-quality production of global standards. The beautiful, fully equipped convention centre will help to achieve this objective," she said.

In the meantime, Miss Jamaica Cornwall franchise holder Junior Taylor is pleased with the move to the western city and believes the winner from the Cornwall final, slated for Saturday, June 8, at Pier 1 in Montego Bay, will be a strong contender for the national crown.

"We received some phenomenal entrants and expect to mount a formidable challenge on home turf on July 21," he said.

The eight finalists for that leg of the competition are Bria-Symone Lewis - Miss Betta Ice; Lanika Coore - Miss Wards Power Tools; Natasha Johnson - Miss One Luv TV; Shanice Rerrie - Miss Kerry Kays; Nicole Stoddart - Miss Gold Plus Auto; Natashia Bryan - Miss Jamaica Tours; Shanika Barnes - Miss Links 96 FM; and Latoya Bulgin - Miss GV Tours Services.

Miss Jamaica World 2013 will drive home a brand-new Suzuki Kizashi valued at $4.55 million as well as gain a $500,000 modelling contract courtesy of Nirvana Magazine. Among the other incentives for this year's 20 finalists are an intense training package from Fusion Consulting Limited valued at $2 million as well as a full educational scholarship valued at J$5 million. Bachelor's degree scholarships totalling $15 million will be offered by the University College of the Caribbean, the University of London, and Kursk State Medical University.