Another Filipina stamped her mark in the international scene, this time by winning the inaugural Miss Tourism Worldwide held in Indonesia.
Zara Carbonell bested 22 other candidates in the pageant that promotes “tourism and cultural exchange.”
But unlike other pageants, the event carries with it a huge responsibility for the 25-year-old, who becomes the official ambassador of tourism for all the countries across the globe.
, two of the social enterprises I’m working with,” Carbonell added.
As title holder, Carbonell said she is tasked to promote “underrated places and protecting those which are already popular.”
“I’ve always believed that the beauty in tourism isn’t in being a stranger in a foreign land but instead finding home in all the places you’re at and this is definitely something I’d want to share,” she said.
But as a homegrown Filipina, Carbonell said she is including the Philippines in her plans.
“This platform puts me in a good place to position the Philippines as the jewel that it is. I will help iron out misconceptions, and promoting the off beaten track places in our country,” Carbonell said.
Although the crown is her first international title, Carbonell has been a fixture in local pageants. Before her historic win, Carbonell has lost—and won quite a few titles.
“The journey into pageantry was very eventful for me I had to take so much losses before getting to this win. My greatest takeaway would be that the process is far greater than the outcome because it’s what hones you, holds you, and heals you,” she said.
Carbonell started her career by joining pageants at an early age in 2010, at her high school alma mater, Colegio San Agustin. Although she did not win the crown, she continued to enter bigger competitions.
Carbonell competed in Miss Earth in 2011 and Bb. Unibersidad in 2012, where she bagged the titles Miss Teenager Universe-Philippines and World University-Philippines. In 2017, Carbonell joined Miss World and was named 2nd princess.
“Life gives you what you need already with the understanding of what you’ll be taking away from it and how every experience will shape you.
It really is a rough road that gets you there,” Carbonell noted.
As the first-ever Miss Tourism Worldwide, Carbonell plans to use her reign to promote purposeful tourism through self-awareness and education, which are her main advocacies.
“I want to share my self-awareness advocacy to the world by working closely with the Asean countries and more. I hope to hopefully visit more schools and do workshops which I’ll have to discuss with my partners as soon as I get home,” Carbonell shared.
The newly crowned winner is slated to return home on Sept. 15 and is now eager to work.
“I can’t wait to get back home and maximize my reign and conceptualize with my dear self-partners and come up with a collaboration with @edukasyon.ph