Miss World 2026 is not just a Miss contest
In the early days of September 2026, Vietnam became the focus of attention when hosting the Miss World 2026 contest. The journey of 111 beauties from many countries and territories not only revolved around the final stage in Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa), but also expanded to many locations such as: Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Khanh Hoa.
Through cultural experiences, community exchanges, and sightseeing, images of the country and people of Vietnam are brought closer to international friends.
Before the Miss World 2026 final night was held, exchanging with Lao Dong Newspaper, Miss Do My Linh said that Miss World 2026 contributes to promoting Nha Trang's image to international friends, raising the status of the coastal city on the tourist map.
Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa hosting Miss World 2026 is an opportunity to strongly promote the image of the coastal city to international friends. I have come to Nha Trang with my family many times to relax and found that the locality possesses many advantages in nature and landscape.
Nha Trang is a land with many advantages, both with sea and many beautiful landscapes. This is also one of the reasons Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa was chosen to organize Miss World. The successful organization of the contests contributes to affirming the position and prestige of the locality on the international tourism map," Miss Do My Linh shared.
According to Miss Vietnam 2016, the spread of international events such as Miss World is not only limited to a beauty contest but also opens up opportunities to promote Nha Trang's image to global tourists.
I think that through international competitions like Miss World, the image of a beautiful coastal city will be spread more widely to international friends. Nha Trang not only has beautiful scenery but also rich cuisine, pleasant weather and many favorable conditions for tourists to experience and relax," Miss Do My Linh said.
Looking from the perspective of tourism development, the value of an international beauty contest does not lie in the moment of coronation, but in the process of turning an event into a destination promotion story.
A destination that wants to attract international visitors not only needs beautiful scenery and attractive tourism products, but also needs the ability to create images and spread information. This is the special advantage of global-scale beauty contests. When hundreds of contestants, organizers, and international media appear in one locality, there is an opportunity to be put on the attention map of global tourists.
Ambassadors of Vietnamese tourism
According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Khanh Hoa, in 2 days from May 4th to 9th, the locality welcomed about 95,000 overnight visitors, of which about 38,000 were international visitors. The increase in the number of visitors during key activities and the Miss World 2026 final night shows the attractiveness of an international event to the tourism market.
However, just looking at the number of visitors in the few days of the contest will not fully appreciate the value that the event brings. More importantly, the image of the destination is marked in the awareness of international tourists, creating a premise for the locality to continue exploiting new visitor markets in the future.
One of the biggest advantages of beauty contests is the ability to create natural "tourism ambassadors". Contestants not only participate in competition but are also people who directly experience, feel and share stories about destinations with a community of followers around the world.
In the era of strong social network development, a photo at Nha Trang beach, a video exploring a craft village, a moment wearing ao dai or interacting with local people can reach millions of people in a short time. Documents about Miss World 2026 show that 111 international beauties are special "ambassadors" when sharing images, videos and experiences in Vietnam on personal platforms, helping the image of the country reach the international public through the authentic perspective of those who directly experience it.
This is a form of promotion with special spreading power, because information not only comes from official communication campaigns but is also conveyed through personal emotions and experiences.
In addition to the media effect, an international beauty contest also creates a clear economic impact on the host locality. During the organization period, thousands of participants including contestants, production crews, guests, media and fans create a large demand for accommodation, restaurants, transportation, shopping, and entertainment services.
For Khanh Hoa, hosting Miss World 2026 not only helps the locality welcome more tourists but is also an opportunity to affirm the capacity to organize large-scale international events, thereby enhancing the position of a leading sea destination in Vietnam.
A noteworthy point of Miss World 2026 is that the event not only promotes the landscape but also makes Vietnamese cultural values an important part of the program. The final night introduced images of Cham culture with the Po Nagar goddess symbol, tower architecture and unique local values. In particular, the ao dai performance of 111 contestants created a symbolic image when combining traditional costumes with handicrafts such as conical hats, wooden fans, Bau Truc ceramics, Thanh Tien paper flowers, and lotus buds.
This approach shows that a beauty contest when connected to culture, history, craft villages, cuisine and landscape, events can become a means of telling stories about the nation and people.
In the context of Vietnam setting a goal to develop tourism into an important economic sector as Resolution 26 of the Politburo has just issued, international events such as beauty contests need to be seen as part of the cultural industrial ecosystem. There is a connection between tourism, media, art, fashion, services and creative economy.
Of course, to promote efficiency, localities cannot just stop at organizing a successful event. After the stage lights, there needs to be a continuing strategy to turn communication effects into specific tourism products such as cultural experience tours, heritage discovery journeys, community tourism, green tourism and products associated with local identity.
Reality shows that in global tourism competition, even if natural resources are abundant, they are not enough to create attraction. The important thing is the ability to tell a story about the destination. A beautiful beach can attract initial attention, but stories about culture, people and different experiences create long-term connection with tourists.
Miss World 2026 shows that when a beauty contest is placed in a tourism promotion strategy, the value created is not just a final night or a beauty title. It is also an opportunity for Vietnam to introduce the image of a country rich in traditions, possessing diverse landscapes, rich culture and friendly people. When beauty connects with culture and tourism, it can become an "ambassador" taking Vietnam's image further on the world map.
