The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Speed Week Revival 2012 is another major initiative which exhibits the impact sports tourism can have on the Bahamian economy.

Tyrone Sawyer, director of sports tourism, addressed this point at the official opening of the event at Arawak Cay yesterday.

“This event is extremely important. It is what we call a hybrid event in that it creates branding and awareness through publicity that it generates. It also brings people to the Bahamas, and when they come that’s a direct benefit that translates into visitor arrivals and incremental room nights. We are very pleased with this event and we see it having a great impact on our tourism sector,” he said.

“I want to ensure you of the ministry’s full support going forward and we like to see this event as an integral part of our sports tourism calendar. We present partnership, we present fellowship, we present a lot of things and you must know that you have the full support of the Bahamas Government, the Ministry of Tourism, we are merely the spearhead of an internal government effort.”

In an interview with Tribune Business, Sawyer said last year’s Speed Week brought about 300-500 visitors to the Bahamas.

“We are hoping to match or exceed that this year. We think that’s going to happen,” he said.

“In terms of the publicity it generates in our core tourism markets, Europe and UK, it’s in the millions. From a sports tourism perspective, what we would like to do is generate events that we put on our sports calendar year after year. Sports tourism has done well, and when we can have a calendar of events that we look to every year, events that bring air stopover arrivals to the country and room nights, you’re talking about new money coming into the country.”

Sports tourism has taken another prominent lead in the Bahamian tourism model.

According to executives within the ministry, year-round perfect weather, world-class venues, a range of hotels, attractions and activities with convenient air and sea access from the US, Europe and Canada, makes the Bahamas a sports planner’s dream with its modern sporting facilities, many of which are internationally certified and meet Olympic standards.