By Admin
Monday 20th November, 2017
THE Capital of Paradise! Clean, green, safe and serene! Those are some of the Tag lines used to market destination Tobago. This 300km2 island with a population of 60,874 according to CSO 2016 is famously known for its beautiful beaches and rain forest. Tobago is visited by thousands of visitors/tourists throughout the year. But can we do more to maximize destination Tobago? I definitely think so! How? Through the wonderful world of Sports tourism. This involves the travel of persons for non-business reasons to participate and or observe sporting activities (Hall, 1992). Sport tourism provides the host country with high media coverage. This coverage will cover not only the sporting event but also provide important information about the country’s cultural and entertainment locations as well as an overall country profile.
According to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (2011) sport tourism has the potential to being powerful tool for development and progress. However, for this to be accomplished to reap the benefits of sports tourism proper planning and management of events have to be undertaken. Recently we saw where a potential sport tourism event was marred by lack of funding from both corporate and government. The annual Tobago Beach Soccer Championship in its eighth year was significantly down-scaled due lack of funding.
Over the years, the event attracted a host of big name international teams and players. This resulted in all eyes being on Tobago through extensive media coverage. Teams came with an influx of supporters and family members. Hotels, guest houses, car rentals, restaurants, foreign currency and local craftsmen benefited from the event. Similar events in Tobago such as the International Cycling Classic and the Masters football tournament also produce benefits to Tobago. However, not enough support or consideration is given the organizations running these events hence a lack of other such events and the downgrade of those that are ongoing. We no longer host the regional under-17 cricket tournament, the NORCECA Continental Beach Volleyball tournament, the rugby sevens.
Currently there isn’t a sport tourism policy in place to guide organizations. The establishment of such will greatly assist the government in their marketing of destination Tobago. Sport is an international appeal. Some of the most marketable individuals are sportsmen and women. Sports Tourism is the way to go. However, one must first understand its powers before proceeding.