The Miss World contestants will be a little bit covered this year as the organisers of the prestigious beauty pageant have cancelled the swimsuit segment amid protests from Muslim groups in the host country Indonesia.

Instead of skimpy bikinis, participating 137 beauties from all over the world will be wearing the Southeast Asian nation's traditional long sarongs in the competition in September, the Associated Press reports.

"There will be no bikini in this year's Miss World pageant to respect our traditional customs and values," Adjie S. Soeratmadjie of the RCTI, the official broadcaster and local organiser, said.

"This is a sensitive issue in Indonesia. We have discussed it since last year and they have agreed."

Indonesia is a predominantly Islamic country, and its top Islamic group, the Indonesian Council of Ulema, has recently demanded President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to cancel the global beauty pageant, saying the contest will just display women's body.

In a bid to appease concerns, the pageant organisation decided to skip bikinis and go for a more conservative suit, which the contestants will wear in a special beachwear fashion show.

"Indonesia is designing for us a very beautiful one-piece beachwear, and I'm very happy with them," Miss World Organisation chairwoman Julia Morley told AP.

"I don't think Indonesia is the only country that has culture. But we like to work in the manner respectful to every country, and I cannot see why when you go to somebody's country you should not behave respectfully."

However, there are still hardline Islamic groups that don't think that the bikini ban is enough.

"They will still wear outfits that will encourage sex and immoral acts," head of the Islamic Reformist Movement (Garis), Chep Hernawan, told AFP.

Miss World 2013 will be held on September 28 in Bali.