Under the patronage of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Arab Tourism Festival concluded its 12th session with a solemn ceremony at the Hilton Cairo World Trade Center earlier this week.
Hanan Nasr, president of the Miss Arab Competition, inaugurated the ceremony with a speech praising the stability and security of Egypt witnessed under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Egypt's glorious army.
Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhy was honored during the festival as the most influential official of the year for his outstanding and pioneering role in supporting youth and providing them with vast opportunities.
Yousef Wardani, Assistant Minister of Youth received the award on the behalf of Sobhy at the closing ceremony.
Nasr said in an exclusive interview with Sada El-Balad English (SEE) that the award has been presented each year, for the past 12 years, to leading Arab figures, who played prominent roles in public service.
The festival concluded its activities with a beauty contest, choosing the ideal Arab contestant and Miss Arab World 2019.
Yomna Mohamed from Egypt won the title of the Ideal Contestant and the Algerian El-Amira Samara attained the Miss Arab title.
The Egyptian natural beauty was dressed in a Pharaonic dress, carrying all the features of ancient Egypt, designed by the talented fashion designer Raghda Hassan.
[caption id="attachment_47887" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
Raghda Hassan, Yomna Mohamed, Hanan Nasr during the event[/caption]
Meanwhile, Samara wore a blend of royal and traditional karakou Algerian fabrics fitting perfectly for the Amazigh beauty.
The ceremony's costumes were designed by the Syrian fashion designer Yasser Harblih and the fabrics provided by Vlore. Makeup and hair were provided by beauty expert Yasmin Al Yassin.
Sixteen Arab countries were competing for the title including Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria, Oman, Yemen, UAE, Kuwait, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, and Yemen.
From Ramallah, Palestinian clothing brand owner Lauren Imseeh won the title of first runner-up, the second runner-up was Lebanon's Mariam Kamoun, while the third runner-up was Morocco's Nabila Aqili. Yemeni Nermin Jaafari was selected as fourth runner-up, while Miss Arab Iraq Shams Hamid won Top Model title.
[caption id="attachment_47893" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
El-Amira Samara, Rania Ben Aichouche holding the Algerian flag[/caption]
Contestants have participated in a closed camp to conduct oral and written examinations by a group of specialists in various fields, in addition to training for the competition, including catwalks, public speaking tips, and posture.
Last year, Rania Ben Aichouche from Algeria also secured the Miss Arab World privilege, defending the Algerian title.
Director General of Hilton Ahmed Seddiqi said that one of the policies of the hotel is promoting Arab tourism in Egypt.
https://youtu.be/r0li8JFtQnU
Nasr announced that this year included a big list of stars from the Arab world as guests of honor for the festival, including Lebanese star Madlen Tabar, actors Tamer Shaltout, Ahmed Refaat, as well as Media Consultant Hanan Husen.
She added that the Miss Arab Europe competition will take place in Belgium after the feast.
Follow the latest news on Google News
