•Winners to represent Nigeria at global pageants in China, Vietnam

Preparations are in top gear for the grand finale of Miss Tourism Nigeria 2026, after over 1,000 entrants indicated interest in the pageant, which will see the top three winners participate in Miss Tourism World in China, Miss Cosmo in Vietnam and Miss Tourism Africa in Egypt.

A statement from the organisers of the pageant noted that while it was difficult to prune the entrants to a manageable number due to the high quality of this year’s contestants, it opened a window of opportunity, which most state governments are jumping on to highlight the tourism values in their respective states when the contestants took up the ‘Tourism in My State’ video challenge, where they showcased welcoming sights in the various states of the federation for a one-and-half-minute-long video, which attracted views and reviews and ratings from the general public.

According to Collete Nwadike, the Chief Executive Officer of the pageant, who is also the National Director of Miss Tourism World, Miss Cosmo Nigeria and Miss Tourism Africa, the organisers are quite impressed by the response of the public towards the pageant in 2026.

“We are simply overwhelmed by not just the quantity of entries but also the quality. This could be seen in the interest the ‘Tourism in My State’ video challenge generated from the public. The challenge was an eye-opener to what many states are endowed with and have not been showcasing, which the contestants made conscious efforts to highlight in their various short videos. This points to the fact that we will have a great outing this year, which is why I am inviting corporate bodies to plug into the immense opportunities the Miss Tourism Nigeria 2026 is currently presenting. Let them reach out to us for partnerships”.

In a related development, the organisers have equally announced what it termed: FINAL WILDCARD WINDOW for initial applicants who did not get a follow up communication from the organisers due to some unforseen circumstance, but still wish to continue. “If this applies to you, kindly send us a DM immediately to be considered. This does not affect the current delegate pool. Selection remains based on merit, effort, and completion of required stages. Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey so far. The Game of Crowns continues,” the statement reads.

Update news