Sporting events put SVG in international spotlight

Tue June 18, 2013

Over the next few days, St Vincent and the Grenadines will be getting its share of international media attention, thanks in part to the matches being played between the West Indies and Sri Lankan cricket “A” teams, and from hosting the finals of the Guinness Street Football competition.{{more}}

The two cricket teams, who have been here since last week, engaging in a rain hampered four-day test match at the Arnos Vale Playing Field, will turn their attention to what we hope would be uninhibited battles in two twenty-20 matches today and tomorrow, also at Arnos Vale, before leaving these shores.

Then, on Friday and Saturday, the Arnos Vale Sporting Complex will be alive once again, with seven teams from around the region, who will vie for the top spot and regional title of Guinness Street Football champions.

The international television crews currently here, and those who would be here on the weekend, are documenting these sporting events and broadcasting them for the rest of the world to see.

These events should therefore be seen as platforms, from which we can promote our multi-island state as a tourism destination, and demonstrate to the rest of the world that we are quite capable of hosting sporting events of an international standard.

It is important that we maximize the publicity that we receive from these events, for they afford us an international audience which would, in normal circumstances, be outside the reach of the budget of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority.

These events help to develop sports tourism, as we seek opportunities to diversify the broader tourism product, upon which much of our economic development rests.

These opportunities to present ourselves to the rest of the world could not have come at a more opportune time, with the opening of the international airport at Argyle scheduled for next year.

Let’s put our best foot forward to show our guests a good time and ensure that they have a safe and enjoyable sojourn with us. Hopefully, when they leave our shores, they will encourage others to come to experience the hospitality for which Vincentians are well known. We also encourage sports fans to turn out in large numbers at the events, and give their support to the local and visiting teams alike.