Helina is the first Miss Tourism Ethiopia Queen from Ethiopian to represent her country at the annual Miss Tourism Planet Pageant staged in Greece from July 3rd to July 14th.
“Helina Mezgebu can expect to be called on to participate in the medal presentation ceremonies at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games,” Mr. Andy Abulime, National Director of the Ethiopian Life Foundation and organizer of the Miss Tourism Ethiopia said.
Helina will now prepare herself for her participation at the 2004 Miss International pageant scheduled to be held in Japan and China in October.
The Foundation, and Mr Andy who single headedly organized, financed and sent the first ever Ethiopian representative to the Miss Universe pageant in Ecuador, said the 2nd runner up from the 2004 Miss Universe Ethiopia beauty pageant, Tigist Mengistu will represent Ethiopia at Miss Tourism International 2004 in Ukraine.
Miss Universe Ethiopia 2004, Ferehiwot Abebe made the top 20 spot for Ethiopia, and won a US$60,000 University scholarship in the event in Ecuador.
Ethiopia and Angola were the only African countries at the Miss Tourism Planet Pageant, the event was not ironically supported by even the Ethiopia tourism commission and Mr Andy had to make do and carry the event and promote Ethiopia single headedly with little or no support from any of the many tour operators in Ethiopia, just like he has been doing for over two years now, sending Young Ethiopian beauty queens to the most prestigious International pageants .
Miss Tourism Ethiopia is a new idea that we feel tour operators and tourism professionals in Ethiopia should be aligning them selves with to assist in promoting tourism
