Shawn Crockwell the Minister of Tourism Development and Transportation Speaking on the House Floor this evening in the House of Assembly said the Sports Tourism Budget has been increased by $1.112M.
Crockwell is quoted as saying, “Sports Tourism is a key factor in the promotion of Bermuda and is identified in the new National Tourism plan as a vital component to grow awareness of Bermuda’s world class sporting product and increased visitation to our shores. Sports is a uniting factor that brings people from all walks of life together and the Department of Tourism strives to leverage all opportunities for our island.
Mr. Chairman, the performance of each sports tourism event sponsored by the Bermuda Department of Tourism is analyzed against the Department’s goals and objectives. They have been assessed through a performance based model to ensure that they stimulate our economy by bringing visitors to our shores; act as awareness enhancers of our product via, TV, online, print and social media; and provide value added opportunities for visitors planning a Bermuda vacation.
Successful events such as the Marion to Bermuda Race, the World Rugby Classic, the Bermuda Triple Crown/Big Game Classic, The Bermuda Marathon Weekend, the Bermuda Goodwill and The SheRox Bermuda Women’s Triathlon bring thousands of people to our shores. These visitors in turn spend millions of dollars in our economy that reach many sectors of Bermuda’s work force. Hotels, taxi drivers, restaurants, grocery stores, retail shops and various service providers all benefit directly from the positive economic impact of each one of these events.
Mr. Chairman, the Sports Marketing budget in 2012/13 was $2,098,00 and the 2013/14 budget is $3,210,000 , up $1,112,000. The variance is mostly due to the addition of the Bermuda Government Golf Courses operating support now falling under the Department of Tourism and the increase of some new sporting events in this fiscal year to include niche markets in lacrosse, youth soccer and sailing, field hockey, adventure races, yoga and various other sports that will bring events and visitors to our shores. Bermuda has secured a new two year agreement with the PGA Grand Slam of Golf and the 2013 tournament will be held Oct 14-16, 2013 and will be viewed by millions of households in a multitude of different countries around the world. All events are evaluated on a series of return on investment studies. Each one is critically examined on how they deliver on the expectations they can provide as we look to showcase them as a part of our overall events calendar.”
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