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Sun, sand … and sports?
Sports tourism takes centre court in Bahamas
For decades The Bahamas has been synonymous with sun, sand and sea, but perhaps that’s about to change. Government officials are intent on adding another lure to the destination’s global appeal. It’s a tool that, if used correctly, could generate significant revenues, create new jobs and reinvigorate The Bahamas’ tourism product.
At a time when traditional tourism is slumping, sports tourism continues to flourish. That’s good news for The Bahamas as it gets set to officially open a state-of-the-art national stadium and other sporting facilities in mid-2011.
“This would mean that we could attract major international events,” says Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Charles Maynard.
There’s a growing recognition of the importance of sports tourism as both a popular leisure experience and economic activity.
A 2001 report released by the World Trade Organization suggests the contribution of sport to the gross domestic product (GDP) of industrialized nations could be as high as two per cent, with the contribution of tourism hovering between four to six per cent.
In 2003, the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission suggested the average economic impact on a city hosting a major sporting event was $32.2 million. That same year, the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance estimated that in excess of US$2 billion per annum was generated by the market.
While the world was gripped by a global financial crisis in 2008, the $600-billion sports tourism market accounted for 10 per cent of the international tourism market.
That year the world’s travel and tourism generated approximately US$5,890 billion of economic activity. That figure is expected to grow exponentially in the next decade, according to at least one global source.
“With the contribution of travel and tourism to gross domestic product (GDP) expected to rise from 9.9 per cent in 2008 to 10.5 per cent by 2018, the next decade will see tourism revenues exceeding US$10,000 billion,” says the World Sport Destination Expo (WSDE), a global exhibition and business forum dedicated to showcasing the full spectrum of sports tourism.
WSDE predicts sports tourism will play a major role in sparking global tourism recovery in the years to come.
On average, an estimated 12 million international trips are made annually for the main purpose of watching a sporting event, according to OneCaribbean.org, the official tourism business website of the Caribbean Tourism Organization.
It defines the term sports tourism as international trips specifically taken to watch major sporting events such as world cups, the Olympics and Formula 1 Grand Prix.
According to OneCaribbean.org, the most popular global sporting events are the soccer FIFA World Cup and the Olympics, followed by the European Football Championships.
For example, the 2007 Cricket World Cup held in the Caribbean generated 100,000 sports tourists. That increase might just be the tip of the iceberg since OneCaribbean.org forecasts growth in this multi-billion-dollar business to the tune of six per cent per annum over the next five years.
Scoring big
The famed Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island has wasted no time in moving to secure a piece of the pie.
In December 2010, the 4,000-room resort hosted a college basketball doubleheader. Mississippi State played Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech battled the Richmond Spiders during an inaugural NCAA-certified Division I Men’s College Basketball games. The games drew thousands of local and international spectators.
The event was held in a new 4,500-seat arena unveiled in the resort’s 60,000 sq ft conference center. The half million-dollar temporary stadium boasted state-of-the-art facilities.
Atlantis hopes to expand the event to an eight-team tournament this year. In order to do that, the resort is petitioning the NCAA for exempt status. The designation would allow college basketball teams to play in The Bahamas and have wins counted toward their season play.
“When we decided to get into college basketball, we said let’s make it the biggest, most fantastic event ever,” says Atlantis President/Managing Director George Markantonis. “We purchased everything, but we didn’t purchase it for one doubleheader. We purchased it because we’re serious and we’re going to put The Bahamas on the map in college basketball.”
Although The Bahamas has hosted similar events, Minister of Tourism Vincent Vanderpool- Wallace says those were on a much smaller scale.
The basketball game dubbed Battle at Atlantis not only attracted visitors who would not ordinarily visit The Bahamas, it also further expanded tourism in the Bahamas “for years to come” within a new market segment, says Vanderpool-Wallace.
More than a game
Sports-related travel generates more than 47 million room nights annually, says SportsTravel magazine, a publication written and designed to serve the people who organize and manage sporting events. This resilient group travel market is something the Bahamian government hopes to tap into when the new stadium officially opens.
The Thomas A Robinson National Track and Field Stadium carries a $30 million price tag–a gift from the People’s Republic of China in line with their policy of international aid to smaller nations for public utility works. The contract was signed between China’s Qilu Construction Group Corporation and the Christie administration on August 9, 2005.
Second to none
At the time, then Prime Minister Perry Christie said the stadium would form the heart of the national sporting complex at Oakes Field, with construction to include ancillary works designed to transform the entire complex into a set of facilities “second to none in the region in function and looks.”
Included in the stadium’s master plan is the development of its surrounding 450 acres. “If we want to have a world-class sports and entertainment facility that can play host to international events, then we have to have the infrastructure to support it,” says Nick Dean, principal at Integrated Building Services, which drafted civil and construction designs for the site.
The master plan features a recreational cycling track arena, athlete’s village, American football field, baseball and softball stadiums, in addition to a commercial district and a hot rod drag racing strip, among other amenities.
Construction of the multi-million-dollar national stadium began in July 2009. It has a seating capacity of 30,000-15,000 grandstand (permanent) seats and the space for another 15,000 portable seats.
Once completed, the stadium’s track and field facilities will meet International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) and the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) standards.
The IAAF and FIFA certification is important. “An IAAF certified track and field means we can host regional and international IAAF events. There are levels of competition that certain seating capacities go with, and so those that fall in line with the 15,000-30,000 capacity are the ones that we would be able to bid on,” says the Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture. “The field’s FIFA designation means we’ll be able to hold regional FIFA world cup qualifiers events here as well.”
The stadium is also to be used for national and cultural events. “The ability for us to attract major events for The Bahamas, whether they be sports or cultural events, as a tourism initiative is definitely one that we intend to take advantage of,” says Maynard, who also sees gains to be made in the religious tourism market as well, with the stadium’s opening.
“We have some of the most outstanding preachers in the world. They travel around the world speaking to thousands on a regular basis. If they can attract that kind of audience when they travel, imagine if we put some emphasis behind them to ensure that we can host events here in The Bahamas. The sky is the limit for the kind of events that we can cater to once we continue to develop the facilities.”
Late last year the government brought proposed legislation to parliament for the creation of a National Sports Authority–a quasi government corporation that would likely seek a strategic partner with international connections to market the local sporting facilities on an international level.
The Sports Authority bill was tabled in Parliament in December. Once approved by the House of Assembly and Senate and signed by the Governor General, it will take immediate effect.
The Authority will help operate and further develop the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre (QESC). Among its functions, the Authority can enter into agreements with sporting federations, subject to the approval of the minister, and impose charges and fees for the use of the stadium, the centre and its facilities.
“Persons would have already expressed interests in having events in The Bahamas. Those range from major, international junior track and field events to college bowl games, cultural and religious tourism events,” says Maynard. “We have the year round climate that is suitable for training in most sports disciplines. We want to encourage that stuff.”
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Sun, sand … and sports?
Sports tourism takes centre court in Bahamas
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