Mutya ng Pilipinas-Miss Tourism International Liana Barrido/ARMIN P. ADINA
The Philippines is the best-performing country in the Miss Tourism International pageant, and Mutya ng Pilipinas Liana Barrido hopes to further widen the country’s lead with another win.
The Batangueña beauty is in Malaysia, aiming to become the sixth Filipino woman to be crowned Miss Tourism International, following her fellow Mutya queens Peachy Manzano in 2000, the late Rizzini Alexis Gomez in 2012, Angeli Dione Gomez in 2013, broadcaster Jannie Loudette Alipo-on in 2017 and Cyrille Payumo in 2019.
Barrido is also on a quest to extend the Philippines’ three-year placement streak that started in 2021 when Keinth Jesen Petrasanta finished seventh and was crowned Miss Southeast Asia Tourism Ambassador.
The Philippines also collected back-to-back Miss Tourism Metropolitan International crowns in the pageant courtesy of Maria Angelica Pantaliano and Jeanette Reyes in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
The Philippines is ahead by two winners of its closest rival Thailand, with three queens including reigning titleholder Tia Li Taveepanichpan.
Aside from the five Filipino women who snagged the Miss Tourism International title, several other prominent Mutya queens received subsidiary crowns from the global tilt.
A2Z news anchor Barbie Salvador-Muhlach was crowned Miss Tourism Cosmopolitan International in 2010, while Kapamilya actress-host Aya Fernandez was proclaimed as Dream Girl of the Year International in 2018.
The Mutya ng Pilipinas pageant also sent former actress and host Sherilyn Reyes to the Miss Tourism International pageant in 1995. She finished as third runner-up.
The 2024 Miss Tourism International pageant will hold its coronation show at the Sunway Resort Hotel, Bandar Sunway, in Selangor tonight, Dec. 13. The ceremonies will be streamed in real time via Facebook.