Battered by COVID, Eilat hopes Miss Universe will help revitalize tourism

The 70th pageant will kick off early Monday morning in Israel, despite the Omicron variant’s travel hindrances — and local criticism

Amy Spiro is a reporter and writer with The Times of Israel

Nandita Banna, Miss Singapore, Veronika Ščepánková, Miss Slovak Republic, Lalela Mswane, Miss South Africa and Sarah Loinaz, Miss Spain, take part in the preliminary competition of the Miss Universe pageant in Eilat on December 10, 2021. (Benjamin Askinas/Miss Universe)
Nandita Banna, Miss Singapore, Veronika Ščepánková, Miss Slovak Republic, Lalela Mswane, Miss South Africa and Sarah Loinaz, Miss Spain, take part in the preliminary competition of the Miss Universe pageant in Eilat on December 10, 2021. (Benjamin Askinas/Miss Universe)

EILAT — The show must go on. In the early hours of Monday morning, in Israel’s southernmost city, the 70th Miss Universe pageant will kick off, with 80 contestants from around the globe parading across the stage in an effort to win the coveted tiara.

Israel was selected as the host country in part due to its early success against COVID. And Eilat, a tourism-centered city devastated by the pandemic, was eager to attract visitors any way possible.

Then came Omicron. But while the new COVID variant was a stumbling block, it did not push the competition off course.

“One of the things that stood out to us was how Israel handled COVID, making us confident that we could have a live event safely there,” said Meg Omecene, director of communications for the Miss Universe organization, on Sunday, of the reason for selecting Eilat.

Sara Salansky, the director of overseas marketing for the Tourism Ministry, said that the Miss Universe Organization reached out to Israel earlier this year about the possibility of hosting.

“They approached us, they came to us, and said, ‘We have an idea, we’re looking for a place to host the event,’” said Salansky.

Miss Universe contestants visit Tel Aviv on December 2, 2021. (Boaz Oppenheim/GPO)

Those discussions began in May — just after the conclusion of the last, COVID-delayed Miss Universe pageant — and the decision was announced in July, in the early stages of Israel’s fourth coronavirus wave.

Just a few weeks ago, it appeared to be smooth sailing ahead, with Israel open to fully vaccinated tourists for the first time in more than 18 months, and case rates remaining low. But fears of the new Omicron variant flipped a switch, with Israel shutting its doors once more to foreigners and adding mandatory quarantine for even fully vaccinated travelers.

But Assaf Blecher, a producer on the Israeli side of the production, said there was never any question that the production would move ahead.

“They did the show last year I think with maybe 1,000 people in the audience — the show is happening, it’s a TV show, so the stage is what matters,” Blecher told The Times of Israel on Sunday afternoon, just outside the tent that will host the pageant.

Omecene said the new restrictions and rules still threw a wrench into some plans.

“The Omicron variant sort of came into recognition right as we were traveling into the country,” she said on Sunday. “So some of our contestants had added quarantine periods, and sadly, some of their parents and family members and loved ones were not able to not able to make the journey because of the rise of this variant.”

Miss Universe contestants participate in the preliminary competition of the pageant on December 10, 2021, in Eilat. (Benjamin Askinas/ Miss Universe)

Miss France, Clemence Botino, tested positive for COVID — but not Omicron — after landing, fully vaccinated, in Israel. But after 10 days in hotel quarantine, she was granted a clean bill of health and will take to the stage on Sunday night.

The majority of the 80 contestants and their delegations were already in Israel when the travel ban went into effect. But others — including Miss USA, who was only crowned at the end of last month — were given special dispensation to arrive.

The decision angered some immigrants to Israel, who believed it was a double standard to allow in beauty queens, but not their family members.

When the ban first came into effect, there were no exceptions made for family members to visit. Days later, foreigners coming for weddings or bar/bat mitzvahs of first-degree family members were allowed to apply for special permission, and a week after that — after extensive campaigning — the list was expanded to include those coming for births.

But nobody seemed eager to take credit for granting the exemptions for not just the Miss Universe participants, but also additional staff, judges, the host, and some family members of the contestants.

The Interior Ministry directed questions to the Population, Immigration and Border Authority, which told The Times of Israel that “approximately 200 professionals connected” to the competition were granted special permission, but that their entry was organized via the Tourism Ministry.

Salansky, however, said the Tourism Ministry was not involved in granting any special entry visas.

“We gave our explanation to the Health Ministry, how important it is, and that to cancel this event [would be] a big mistake,” Salansky said, adding that beyond that, any specific entry decisions were not made by the Tourism Ministry.

Miss Universe organizers also said that they were not involved in requesting or granting access to Israel for those involved with the competition. Organizers claimed that all contestants followed the quarantine restrictions.

But Miss Namibia Chelsi Shikongo shared a post on Instagram about her departure from Namibia — which became a “red” country on November 25 — on November 28. A day later she had arrived in Jerusalem, and within three days she was mingling with the other contestants, despite the fact that those arriving from red countries are ordered to remain in quarantine for a week.

Miss Universe contestants take part in a photoshoot in the Israeli desert on December 4, 2021. (Ronen Horesh/ GPO)

Blecher said that host Steve Harvey, a US TV icon, arrived in Israel several days ago and was unable to fly from Tel Aviv to Eilat due to his quarantine. Instead, he traveled multiple hours via taxi to his hotel room, where he remained until he was cleared to exit.

The 4,000 seats inside the arena were not all sold for Sunday night’s show, admitted Blecher, since the hoped-for influx of tourists was cut off. But the cameras will show millions of viewers around the world an impressive production, including local Israeli talent like Noa Kirel and Harel Skaat, he added.

The Tourism Ministry is hoping that the effects of the show will have a major impact for years to come, when both Omicron and COVID are things of the past.

“In principle, we didn’t look at it as an event that a lot of people will arrive to Israel,” said Salansky. “We looked at it as an event that… people will see Israel, it’s [good] PR, it’s a positive image for Israel.”

The ministry spent NIS 6.5 million to assist the production, although it maintains that the money did not go toward the international organizers’ costs. NIS 4 million went toward advertisements, NIS 1 million was paid to local hotels to host the contestants and provide travel around the country and NIS 1.5 million went to help construct the tent at the Eilat Port that will host the contest — and remain in place for future events.

“This is where we put our money, PR, good image and help supporting the city to build itself for the future,” said Salansky. “In marketing, you’re not doing things for this moment, you’re looking for the long term. And we know that to change the image of Israel, it’s not something you can do in one day.”

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