Maintaining sports facilities pivotal in sport tourism drive

Members of national sporting organisations and the tourism industry, were part of the discussion at the consultation on the draft sport tourism policy at the Barataria Community Centre in Barataria, yesterday.

Those in attendance included executive member of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board Baldath Mahabir, president of the TT Netball Association Pat Butcher, Tourism Development Company sports tourism coordinator Samuel Sankar and members of the First Citizens Sports Foundation.

Among the topics discussed at the seminar were the key considerations in developing sport tourism, the potential for sport tourism in Trinidad and Tobago, a sport tourism policy framework and the Trinidad and Tobago trend in sport tourism.

One of the key factors outlined in having a successful sport tourism drive is maintaining sport facilities and providing accommodation.

Over the last year, TT has seen an increase in the number of sporting facilities opened including the National Cycling Centre, National Aquatic Centre (both in Couva), National Racquet Centre (n Tacarigua) and most recently the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (in Tarouba).

The facilities have the potential of hosting top regional and international events.

The National Cycling Centre hosted the Pan American Junior Track Cycling Championships last August.

The draft sport tourism policy says, “Sport facilities, amenities and accommodation are critical components for the development of the sport tourism niche.

Careful consideration has to be undertaken when attracting or developing sporting events of a certain scale and magnitude with the infrastructural and resource capabilities of the host destination.

Sporting facilities should be well-equipped with the appropriate and necessary amenities and services to meet the needs of high-performance as well as amateur athletes.” Events like the T20 Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Pan American Junior Track Cycling Championships, the Tobago International Cycling Classic and the Rugby Americas North (RAN) Rugby 7’s tournament, have all brought tourists to TT .

In 2014, a CPL report stated that the economic impact of the multi-day event to host countries equalled US$168 million.

The tournament was also able to reach 65 million viewers via television, almost double that of the previous year.

The facilitators of the consultation on the draft sport tourism policy were Brian Gift and Eddie Lee Tang of the Ministry of Tourism, Acolla Cameron of UWI and permanent secretary at the Ministry of Tourism Vidiah Ramkhelewan.