Gone are the days when Miss Universe ends up with the announcement of the next host nation. One can remember quite well in 1994 when the Miss Universe finals night ended up with a beautiful sun kissed scenery and flying birds with a voiceover saying that the next pageant will be hosted by Namibia. Prior to that we know well ahead of time that the Philippines will welcome the beauties from across the globe.

What is happening lately is a clear sign that somehow the Miss Universe pageant is losing its magic at least on the idea that somehow potential tourists will pour into the host country. Trinidadians were not so happy when the promised ka-ching in cash registers did not materialize in 1999. Vietnam could have learned a lesson or two that is why it withdrew its hosting rights for Miss World.

This year, it seems a little harder to discern why the host nation is yet to be known. Last year, Sao Paulo suddenly came in but that was well in the first quarter of the year. This year, it all started with a hoax that Bahamas will host the pageant. Then rumors are flying all over the place saying its South Africa. The recent one is by Fox News claiming that it is official that Dominican Republic will play as host. Miss Universe Organization clarified that no official announcement was ever made.

Interestingly, the more we have to wait, the more hoax stories would surface. But if ever Miss Universe has a choice, it should go to places it never went like South Africa or the Netherlands or even Turkey. The more diverse the host nations are, the more credibility can be given to the pageant.

But given a choice, which country do you think is the best to play host of the Miss Universe 2012 pageant?