TO all those models who feel hard done by their failure to exhibit their beauty in the Miss Harare, Miss Bulawayo, Miss Tourism Zimbabwe or any other beauty contest, there is something to smile about as in comes the Miss Heritage World Zimbabwe contest.

This comes after two Zimbabweans, namely Tare Munzara and the former Miss Zimbabwe Samantha Tshuma, who are co-directors, were granted a licence to co-ordinate the new pageant.

Miss Heritage Zimbabwe will focus mainly on the exhibition of the country’s heritage, which covers the natural resources and traditional components of the country.

The winner in the national contest will have a chance to compete with other models from around the world in South Africa during the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention.

The winner at the international event will be appointed Global Goodwill Ambassador.

The event, according to Munzara, is set to focus on the history and life of Zimbabweans.

Zimbabwe’s representative in South Africa will not only compete for the crown but present to the world the culture and life of Zimbabweans.

The beauty of the country’s natural resources and its heritage will be national winner’s arsenal at the international heritage pageant.

“The Miss Heritage World Zimbabwe will serve to bring to light the heritage and way of living of the Zimbabwean people.

“This is then going to be exported to the rest of the world at the international contest, whose mandate is to showcase the national heritage of different countries,” said Munzara.

Contestants will be drawn from Zimbabwe’s main modelling regions, which are Bulawayo, Harare, Midlands, Manicaland and Matabeleland.

Munzara appealed to the corporate world for assistance in their endeavour to make the pageant a success.

“We want to come up with a celebrated pageant. However, funding is our biggest challenge at the moment,” said.

Manzara said they were hoping to engage the First Lady, Amai Grace Mugabe, and a number of female Cabinet ministers to come up with a trust for the pageant.

The Miss Cultural Heritage in Namibia had their First Lady Penehupofo Pohamba, as the patron and a Zimbabwean model, Kimberly Cole, took part in 2009.

Although she did not clinch the coveted crown, she was able to showcase Zimbabwe’s cultural heritage in the form of dance, dress and social etiquette.

Unlike other beauty contests, the good thing about the Miss Cultural Heritage is that it dwells on the cultural components of the contesting countries.

That alone will afford Zimbabwe an opportunity to market its cultural heritage and tourism resorts, furthering and rejuvenating the efforts made by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, to use beauty as a marketing tool to the rest of the world.