Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere of France. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

In a historic first, the 70th Miss Universe competition will take place in Eilat, Israel, it was announced on Tuesday.

The Miss Universe pageant will air live from Israel in December 2021 with American presenter Steve Harvey returning as host. The three-hour event, which will broadcast live on Fox in the US and also in 180 countries, will conclude with the current Miss Universe, Mexico’s Andrea Meza, crowning her successor.

The competition is being sponsored by World Miss Universe Organization in collaboration with Israel’s Ministry of Tourism, the Eilat Hotel Association and the Eilat Tourism Corporation.

“We have a spectacular country with amazing citizens who resourcefully and creatively know how to overcome any obstacle,” said Israel’s Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov, according to Israeli news site Mako. He added that “the Miss Universe pageant is without a doubt an important and significant anchor that will be held in Israel subject to and in accordance with all the [COVID-19] guidelines required.”

Miss Universe President Paula Sugart said, “For several years we have been striving to host the competition in Israel. This year when we were faced with the choice of host country, Israel stood out, also thanks to the way it dealt with the coronavirus.”

Last year’s Miss Universe ceremony was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.