The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE


Tribune Business Reporter


nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

REVENUES generated from sports tourism this year could be much more than the initial projections of $14 million, Tourism Minister Obie Wilchcombe said yesterday.
 Mr Wilchombe said that while no figure had been put on the amount of revenue this tourism niche would generate in total for 2013, it would exceed initial projections.

“We believe this is going to inject a significant amount of money into the economy. It was projected somewhere around $14 million last year. I think it’s going to be much more than that. We haven’t worked out a figure as yet,” Mr Wilchcombe said.
 He added that a number of sporting events were scheduled to take place win the Bahamas next year, as this nation moves to position itself as a major player in the sports tourism market.
 “We just announced the Bowl games that are going to be coming here next December. They’re all products of the Ministry of Tourism,” the Minister said.

“We’re going to have beach volleyball. The LPGA starts in January, then there is the IAAF world relays. We’re partnering with the Ministry of Sports as well.

“All of these efforts are a part of our sports tourism efforts to get more visitors here so the Bahamas would become renowned as a place where sports enthusiasts or the athletes can come to vacation.”
 Mr Wilchombe also noted that the Prince George Welcome Centre was set to undergo $2 million in upgrades to accommodate cruise visitors to the country, withalmost five million persons coming to the Bahamas this way per year.

“The numbers are good; we have large numbers of cruise passengers but not enough. In fact, if you talk to Festival Place they will tell you they’re doing pretty good, but are we seeing that on Bay Street? Are we seeing that in other places?” said Mr Wilchcombe.

“The answer, in my view, is no. What we have to do is ensure that we create more activity. The Bahamas must always renew itself, and when you don’t do that effectively then you become a tired destination.”