Beauty queen Aileen Yap, 24, beat 11 other contestants to win the coveted Miss Tourism Singapura title.

Ms Yap, an assistant secretary, had won six other beauty pageants before, such as the Commerce Queen and Campus Queen.

Besides beauty, the contestants were also judged on their ability to speak intelligently.

Mr K.M. Byrne, chairman of the Tourist Promotion Board, said Ms Yap won the crown for her knowledge of the environment and her ability to communicate well.

The contestants did not parade in swimwear, but in sarong kebayas.

Ms Yap would be sent to Australia to woo tourists to visit Singapore.

She would also go on radio and television programmes to talk about Singapore.

The runner-up was Mrs Tessie Ng, a 23-year-old teacher. In third place was Mrs Catherina Oh, a 24-year-old creative executive.

Mrs Ng was sent to Hong Kong, while Mrs Oh flew to Thailand to promote Singapore as a tourism destination.