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Stella Lee

Miss Hong Kong contestants leave for Kenya on Saturday on what promoters  say is a two-way mission - to promote Hong Kong as a tourist destination and help attract Hongkongers to the African nation.

Leading the delegation will be Kenya's first honorary consul in Hong Kong, Tam Wing-kun,  who is also the commissioner for the Kenya Tourist Board (Far East), which is sponsoring the trip with Kenya Airways.

Pageant organisers TVB have sent the contestants to Kenya to film footage for publicising the pageant in August.

'We hope the contestants can extend the friendship from Hong Kong to Kenya and bring back the beauty of the country to Hong Kong,' Dr Tam said after  cementing the sponsorship deal.

TVB's project manager, Ho Lai-chuen, said the exotic choice of the location went with their new slogan: 'Pristine Refined - A new look at Miss Hong Kong Pageant 2004'.

'We hope the wilderness in Kenya will give the contest a fresh feeling,' he said.

The 18 contestants will be joined on the six-day trip  with an entourage of 40 support and production staff from TVB and 26 journalists.

The beauty queens will learn how to feed giraffes and start a camp fire. They will also introduce Hong Kong culture to the  Kenyans.

One of the contestants,  marketing co-ordinator  Kate Tsui Tsz-shan, 25,  said: 'I'll tell the people in Kenya that Hong Kong is a friendly city with a mix of Chinese and foreign cultures. I hope that they'll come and see the city for themselves.'

To prepare for the trip, each contestant has been given three vaccinations.

Dr Tam said he hoped to attract  10,000 Hong Kong people to Kenya every year,  saying  direct flights since last September had made travelling to Nairobi easier.



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