A beauty pageant from El Salvador has never won the Miss Universe title, but the Latin American nation wants to break the curse by hosting the 72nd annual event in 2024.
During the 71st Miss Universe pageant on Saturday, January 14, 2023, where Miss USA secured the multimillion-dollar crown, President Nayib Bukele revealed during a video presentation that they will host the contest.
“I am greatly honored to announce that El Salvador will be the official host country of the next Miss Universe pageant at the end of this year,” Bukele said. “El Salvador is a country that’s full of beauty. We have the best surfing beaches in the world, magnificent volcanoes, and exquisite coffee, and we have become the safest country in Latin America.”
Bukele continued: “We would like to thank the Miss Universe organization for joining us in this historical process.”
“El Salvador is changing, and we want you to come and see it for yourself. See you soon.”
The last time El Salvador hosted the Miss Universe pageant was in 1975, during its 24th edition.
Miss USA R’Bonney Gabriel wins the 71st annual Miss Universe pageant
Miss Venezuela, Amanda Dudamel, named the first runner-up at the Miss Universe
The 71st annual Miss Universe contest
After a nail-biting pageant, Miss United States, R’Bonney Gabriel, wins the 71st annual Miss Universe contest. After competing against eighty-three candidates, the new queen secured the crown on Saturday, January 14, from the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
R’Bonney is the lead sewing instructor at Magpies & Peacocks, a Houston-based non-profit design house dedicated to using “Fashion As A Force For Good” through sustainability and community impact. As “Gucci Changemakers” recipients, they were honored for their work of diverting unwanted textiles and fabrics from landfills and turning them into fashion collections. Within the “MAKR” program, she teaches sewing classes to women that have survived human trafficking and domestic violence.