MONTEGO BAY, St James: After a 14-year run, organisers of the Miss Global International pageant are suspending this year’s staging. It is, however, slated to return next year.

Conceptialiser and Montego Bay businessman Lachu Ramchandani said the break is to facilitate preparation for the event’s grand staging next year.

“My daughter (pageant director Neelam Ramchandani) and I are planning a very, very big pageant next year. We are just taking a break this year to restructure the whole thing and and see how we can make this pageant the biggest ever. So we are just taking a break this year to take it to the highest level next year. We want to open with a big bang next year,” Ramchandani told the Jamaica Observer. “We want to give the overseas people a break this year so they can train their girls giving them enough time to prepare.”

This is the first break the pageant, which started as Miss Commonwealth, has ever taken since its start in 2004.

Ramchandani said Miss Commonwealth evolved into Miss Global International after an overwhelming interest from females outside Commonwealth countries. He explained that he was quick to entertain non-Commonwealth contestants, and change the name, especially as he was using the contest to enhance the tourism industry. Since then, Miss Global International has been held outside of Jamaica on three occasions: the United Kingdom in 2008; Trinidad and Tobago in 2014; and Santo Domingo the following year.

The reigning Miss Global International (2017) is Cynthia Dookie of Guyana.

The conceptualiser highlighted the pageant’s contribution to Jamaica’s economy.

“We do it as a non-profit because we do it for the community. It is for tourism. Our goal behind this pageant is uniting the world through beauty and tourism. That is my theme and that is my motto. That is what we are doing,” he said.