Serious effort underway to enhance sports tourism

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, May 12, 2011 - A committee has been established to examine ways of further developing Grenada’s sports-tourism product.

Linking sporting and tourism activities to increase visitor arrivals and generate additional foreign exchange is a thriving industry in many countries.

The Grenada government wants to expand and enhance its own efforts at sports-tourism. It has been the focus of discussions between the Ministries of Sports and Culture and the Grenada Board of Tourism (GBT).

Among suggestions so far is to have a “Sports and Cultural Ambassadors’ Programme,’’ utilizing “some of our sporting and cultural icons from Grenada,’’ said GBT Director Simon Stiell.

It is the idea, he explained, of “whether we can develop a programme where we can use their presence to help promote Grenada as a destination as well as creating role models for our youth – whether it is in the area of sports development or cultural development.’’

Mr. Stiell noted that sports-tourism is sparking lots of interest in the wider Caribbean region and internationally as well.

“It has substantial commercial value that we need to tap into, using our natural strengths and developing on it, and taking examples from what other parts of the world are doing in the area of sports-tourism,” he said.

Certain objectives associated with sports-tourism are outlined in the National Sports Policy. The sports-

tourism examination committee will report on ways of achieving those objectives, said Sports Minister

Patrick Simmons.

“That committee will carry out a situation analysis of the different disciplines,’’ the Minister said. “When we get that analysis, we are going to identify which of the sporting disciplines to go forward with in terms of its benefit to tourism.’’

The committee is expected to report its findings by month-end.

SOURCE: Public Relations Officer, Kareen Morain