Maximising the benefits

Over the past two weeks, St. Vincent and the Grenadines has played host to three major sporting events.

The West Indies Senior Women’s Cricket Competition, the 18th Caribbean Squash Championships and for the fourth consecutive year, the International Tennis Federation(ITF) Tournament for Under-14’s and Under -18’s provided great diversion for sports lovers here.{{more}}

The ITF Tournament is reported to have brought approximately 150 persons to our shores, while Cricket attracts another 110 and Squash 100, a small boost to our tourism industry.

These tournaments followed on the heels of the inaugural Windward Islands T/20 competition staged last month.

This hosting of so many major sporting events in such a short space of time is surely unprecedented.

What the tournaments were able to do was not only get St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the spotlight, but bring in much needed revenue.

It was evident that there was heightened business activity, as the hotels were occupied and the supermarkets and other business places were well patronized.

To have participation in the Tennis Tournament from persons as far away as Russia speaks of the marketing power and reach of this annual event.

There is also participation from persons from Italy, Israel and Germany, so one readily can accept the international appeal.

Who comes to these Tennis competitions? Of course, there are those from the upper echelon of their respective societies who pay for their trips here. This is, of course, an economic plus for St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Additionally, most of the youngsters have their parents and other family members travelling with them.

So the spin offs, whilst not huge, have done the nation well, and one hopes that our good job as hosts automatically sells our country and its hospitality and everything else we have to offer.

Indeed, first impressions are always lasting and one never gets another opportunity to make a first impression.

Therefore, when one local medical doctor, Dr. Chester Toney, went beyond the call of duty and rendered his services gratis to a member of the Guyana Women’s Cricket Team, resulting in a public thank you from the team, then indeed that was good marketing of Vincentian warmth.

But this must have come as a measure of comfort to the Guyanese, who like two other teams had to stand through the Opening Ceremony and Cocktail held at the Cruise Ship Terminal on the evening of Wednesday, August 11.

Sadly, the organizers were lacking in their planning as there were more persons present than seats provided, leaving the Guyanese, Trinidadians, Vincentians, the media, and other invited persons standing.

The Trinidadians left the function about midway, and quite rightly so, as they were not catered for.

In short, it was a very poor attempt at staging a welcoming ceremony and the West Indies Cricket Board, the persons responsible for the execution of the event, got one out of ten.

But that is water under the bridge as these latest tournaments trail others that have been staged.

Earlier in the year, this country hosted a zone of the Caribbean Football Union’s end of the CONCACAF Club Championships Qualifiers in which Devonshire Cougars of Bermuda, Leo Victor of Suriname and Joe Public of Trinidad and Tobago visited. The Windwards Under-19 Cricket Competition, the West Indies Cricket team in three historic back to back One Day Internationals against Zimbabwe were followed by the ECCB OECS Under-23 Netball Tournament.

So there has been no shortage of practice for us to get better at hosting competitions of these varying magnitudes.

The platform has been set for us to continue to promote St. Vincent and the Grenadines as a Sports Tourism destination.

All parties concerned: government, national associations, the private sector and the sporting public and, by extension all Vincentians, should turn these opportunities into viable economic ventures.

But there is no benefit to be maximized from the Mound still being at the Sion Hill Playing Field.