Gold medallist Grant Holloway of United States celebrates on the rostrum with silver medallist Daniel Roberts of United States and bronze medallist Rasheed Broadbell of Jamaica REUTERS/Alina Smutko
The Caribbean Lodge and Tourism Affiliation (CHTA) has known as on the area to embrace sports activities improvement and sports activities tourism following the excellent efficiency of Caribbean athletes on the current Paris Olympic Video games.
The Fort Lauderdale-based CHTA stated on Wednesday that historic achievements by athletes like St. Lucia’s Julien Alfred and Dominica’s Thea LaFond, who secured their nations’ first-ever Olympic medals; Marileidy Paulino, the primary girl from the Dominican Republic to win an Olympic gold; and Jamaica’s Roje Stona, setting the Olympic males’s discus report, “have shone a world highlight on the Caribbean’s numerous athletic prowess.”
“The success of our athletes is a testomony to the unbelievable expertise and potential that exists within the Caribbean,” stated CHTA President Nicola Madden-Greig. “It’s time for us to dream even larger and make investments extra in creating our sports activities women and men throughout all disciplines and search to construct a powerful sports activities tourism market, not solely to help our athletes but additionally to reap the financial and cultural advantages this thriving business can deliver to our area.”
CHTA famous that the Caribbean’s current Olympic success builds on “the unbelievable legacy of sporting giants who’ve lengthy put the area on the worldwide athletic map.”
“Jamaican sprinters Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce revolutionized observe and subject with their dominance and charisma,” CHTA stated. “Grenadian Kirani James introduced consideration to the smaller islands together with his 400m prowess, incomes Olympic gold, silver and bronze medals throughout three Video games.”
CHTA careworn “the essential function of cooperation amongst governments, tourism departments, sports activities organizations and the personal sector in constructing a powerful sports activities tourism infrastructure,” underscoring the necessity for academic packages and initiatives to nurture younger expertise and create alternatives for athletes, sports activities associations and directors to excel.
“This extends to fostering expertise in occasion administration and advertising and marketing, enabling the Caribbean to create curated excursions, set up museums that honor the area’s sporting heritage, and set up distinctive sports activities occasions that highlight Caribbean tradition and supply a platform for native athletes to shine,” CHTA stated.
In line with CHTA’s knowledge companion, ForwardKeys, sporting occasions play “a big function in boosting tourism throughout Caribbean locations, with various ranges of influence.”
It stated high-profile, internationally-recognized occasions just like the just lately held ICC Males’s T20 Cricket World Cup “are likely to generate substantial will increase in traveler volumes, as they appeal to a broad viewers of followers from world wide.”
For instance, ForwardKeys ticket gross sales to Barbados through the week of the fixture announcement (January 4-10, 2024) for journey dates through the competitors elevated by 90 p.c in comparison with the identical interval final 12 months.
“Sports activities tourism is extra than simply internet hosting occasions; it’s about making a holistic expertise that showcases our tradition, pure magnificence and sporting excellence,” Madden-Greig stated. “By investing in sports activities tourism, we are able to appeal to guests from world wide, together with these in search of year-round coaching locations and experiences. It will increase our economies and encourage the subsequent era of Caribbean athletes.”
CHTA known as for the Caribbean to embrace sports activities tourism, recognizing its “important cultural and financial potential.”
It stated this rising sector, now taught at main universities, generates about 10 p.c of world tourism expenditure in line with UN Tourism.
CHTA careworn the significance of integrating sports activities tourism into regional improvement methods “to diversify and improve the Caribbean tourism product, capitalizing on this quickly increasing market.
“CHTA is dedicated to working with its companions to grab the momentum generated by the current Olympic success and set up the Caribbean as a premier sports activities tourism vacation spot,” stated Madden-Greig, noting that many hoteliers all through the area already take part in, sponsor and help sporting occasions.
She urged CHTA members to get entangled with this rising phase.
“Collectively, we are able to remodel the Caribbean into a world sports activities tourism powerhouse whereas additionally empowering our younger individuals to turn out to be the leaders of tomorrow,” Madden-Greig stated.
