SANYA, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Miss World 2018, the 68th edition of the international beauty pageant, is scheduled to be held in the popular beach city of Sanya in southern China's island province of Hainan on Dec. 8.

It is the eighth time that the annual event will be held in Sanya.

Contestants from around 120 countries will vie for the crown in this year's event. So far, over 30 countries have selected their representatives, according to local authorities.

The contestants will arrive in Sanya on Nov. 9 for the month-long Miss World Festival.

"Miss World has contributed to Sanya's tourism industry and boosted the city's 'beauty economy,'" said Dai Yuming, vice mayor of the Sanya municipal government, when meeting a delegation from Miss World Organization that runs the pageant, on Tuesday.

The Miss World pageant, created in 1951, is one of the oldest and most influential beauty pageants in the world.