Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], June 3 (ANI): Telangana Minister Jupally Krishna Rao has said that hosting the 72nd Miss World pageant in Hyderabad was a big step towards 'promoting tourism' and attracting investments in the state.

The grand finale of Miss World 2025 took place on May 31 in Hyderabad. Thailand's Opal Suchata was crowned the winner, the first time Thailand had won the Miss World crown.

Rao said that the goal behind bringing the event to Hyderabad was to boost tourism and provide job opportunities to the youth.

'The very purpose of conducting this Miss World competition, Miss World 72... was to promote tourism. The promotion of tourism is meant to provide employment and self-employment to the unemployed youth, increase state revenue, and attract investments. So, we have succeeded in this endeavour, which was our total aim,' Rao told ANI.

'We brought the entire world to Hyderabad. We were able to showcase Telangana tourism and promote Telangana across the world. We succeeded. So, we are thankful to everyone: the Miss World organization, the participants, our employees, our officers, and everyone else who participated in making this event a success. I am thankful to all and to our Chief Minister for bringing this event to Hyderabad,' he added.

The 72nd edition of the global beauty pageant was a star-studded event and marked another proud moment for Thailand, as this was the country's first Miss World crown.

India's Nandini had made it to the Top 40 after a standout performance in the earlier rounds, where she was among the 18 contestants who 'fast-tracked' to this prestigious category. However, she could not make it to the final cut as the competition progressed.(ANI)