The Tribune

BY DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

THE inaugural West End International race day is coming up this April 22 and 23 at the West End Village and event organisers are expecting racers from all over the world to compete in the event.

A kickoff party will take place on April 21 at the Old Bahama Bay Resort and Yacht Harbour, and the races will be held from 9.30am to 4.30pm on Saturday and Sunday. Hydroplanes, jersey skiffs, and powerboats will be racing at 170mph speeds in waters off West End.

The event is organised by the International Boat Racing Association, and some 20-28 races from the US and Canada will be competing in this third circuit. In addition to the races, the event will feature food, drinks, music, vendors, shopping and activities for the whole family.

Betty Bethel, director of the Ministry of Tourism in Grand Bahama, said they are excited about the event being held in Grand Bahama. “We are very excited to host the first ever West End International, she said. The event promises fun and excitement for our residents and visitors alike and we are very excited to host them at the beautiful Old Bahama Bay and he surrounding resorts on West End,” she said.

General admission to the races is free and there are VIP tickets for the races ad for Friday day night kick off party. Sergio Nativi, president of the IBRA, said they will consider making the races an annual event.

First Northern Bahamas Sports

Tourism Symposium held

The first Northern Bahamas Sports Tourism Symposium was held in Grand Bahama over the weekend as part of an initiative by the Ministry of Tourism to promote sports tourism and attract international athletic and sporting events in the northern Bahamas.

The symposium was held on Saturday at the Pelican Bay Resort and was attended by stakeholders from various sporting disciplines in Bimini, Abaco, and Grand Bahama. Participants received valuable information about various aspects of planning world-class sporting events.

Betty Bethel, Director, Ministry of Tourism in Grand Bahama Island, said Grand Bahama is ideal destination for various sporting events. “We realised that in our re-positioning of the destination, Grand Bahama fits perfectly with athletic events, various youth groups, and amateur athletic events,” she told those at Saturday’s symposium.

The participants were told that sports tourism is a “big business” and can significantly benefit their islands.

Virginia Kelly, director of sports tourism in the Ministry of Tourism, New Providence, said: “We need to let the Bahamian people know what we are doing in terms of building our sports tourism programme. We are letting the stakeholders know how we can do it.”

Numerous topics were covered, including event planning, marketing, sponsorship, packaging, partnership, and amateur sports.

The participants were able to ask questions, share ideas, and list any concerns during panel discussions by seven speakers.

Nuvolari Chotoosingh, manager of sports tourism, Ministry of Tourism, stressed that sports tourism is the fastest growing segment of the sports industry in the world.

“We are talking billions of dollars, so sports has really moved from being big business to being huge business and everyone is competing for that sports tourism dollar,” he said. “Here in The Bahamas we are no different; we have staged a number of international sporting events, so we felt it was important that we pulled in all the organizations on Grand Bahama, Bimini, and Abaco, to share how the Ministry of Tourism’s arm can assist them in preparing, planning, and executing world-class international sporting events,” he said.