Excitement builds up before the final pageant!

105 contestants from around the globe, including India's Sindhura Gadde, are excitedly making last minute preparations.

China's tropical beach resort of Sanya was gearing up to hold its third consecutive Miss World finals today, with 105 contestants from around the globe, including India's Sindhura Gadde, excitedly making last minute preparations.

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The final round on Saturday will see 15 finalists - most selected by a global vote - vie for the coveted Miss World title after nearly a month of rehearsals and charity functions in Sanya and elsewhere around China.

"It's getting exciting, I can see a lot of tension in the girls," Miss World 2004 Maria Julia Mantilla Garcia told journalists.

Global voting for the 54-year old event was introduced in 2003 and the format has been tweaked every year in an effort to find a balance between the traditional judging by panel and voting by a global audience, organisers said.

This year audience voting - done by email, mobile phone short-messaging and telephone calls - began in early November, with two winners each from North and South Europe, the Asia Pacific, Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean to be announced on Saturday.

Judges are in the process of choosing one more finalist, who will be the winner of the "Beauty With A Purpose" contest, which is based on the social and charity-related activities of the young women.