Sports Tourism and political ole talk

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When sportspeople come to a country, they bring along supporters, friends and family members. These people spend money in the country at hotels and guest houses, restaurants and bars and seek out local art and craft items to remind them of their stay.

St Vincent and the Grenadines

We boast of doing much to enhance our tourism product. For sure what we seem to be offering the high class tourists is the new emphasis on gaming that the Trump following so often has in its trail. They can soon wing in and out on the new Jet Port.

We have the annual Bequia Regatta, which, in light of the current political dispensation, may well receive limited attention by the authorities.

We have a modified Arnos Vale, Sion Hill and Stubbs  Sports complexes as well as the best tennis facility in the Caribbean. Our squash complex is relatively good although slightly cramped.

We have had sports administrators climb up the ladder in regional and international sports organisations.

The reality is though that we have not made any concerted effort to have a meeting of minds relative to sporting organisations being deliberately brought into some sort of sports tourism thrust.

The recent Independence month witnessed this country hosting the International Tennis Federation’s Under 14s and Under 18s Tournaments with 150 athletes involved and with coaches, umpires and family members to be added to the number of visitors. There were also the motorcycle club’s annual invitation activities that brought several motorcyclists into the island for the weekend. We also had athletics, basketball and netball activities.