SPORTS TOURISM FOR JAMAICA

With repeated pronouncements of intentions to increase, upgrade and fortify the nation’s tourism product, we find ourselves, in this era, with a critical component of the trillion-dollar travel business being developed only in fits and starts

It’s even more worrying given the country’s ever improving standing in international sports circles. Way beyond our traditional dominance in track and field, Jamaican individuals and teams are posting good showings in international competition in racket sports, winter sports and even games like chess.

How can we parlay this recognition into visitor attention, and thus cold hard cash? Part of the challenge lies in staging our own international-caliber sporting events right here, an area in which our record has been potty, at best. This largely due to the general neglect of sporting venues and facilities. The National Stadium, built to coincide (and host) Independence celebrations in 1962, last held a multi-nation athletics meet in 2002, the World Junior Athletics Championships. Before that, one has to go back to 1966, and the Commonwealth Games. The annual high school athletics championships, or Champs, hosts a limited but growing number of overseas media and athletics scouts, and its lore in the international sporting fraternity is growing.

The Indoor Sports Arena, on land adjoining the National Arena, was built expressly for hosting the IFNA World Netball Championships of 2003. Since then, it has seen events of all types, from business to entertainment, but no other multi-nation sports tournaments. 

Of course, no “surface” is needed for the upcoming  annual Port Antonio Marlin tournament, which will see its 48^th renewal in the Northeastern town come October. The tournament is sanctioned by the world governing body, International Game Fishing association (IFGA), but overseas anglers are still relatively few in number, and the town lacks the general infrastructure to seriously accommodate more. 

In years gone by, golf took centrestage with the Johnnie Walker World Cup, but that event  ended after only five stagings. A cycling Tour of Jamaica was similarly short-lived. As the sport continues to struggle with doping issues, the premier country races like the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia are seeking to piggyback on the improved visibility afforded by the London Olympics to bring visitors back in record numbers.

The latest private sports tourism initiative Jamaica Soccer Cup staged though the efforts of “south-coaster” Jason Henzell who was also instrumental in the staging of the Jake’s Triathlon, now in its 17^th year (staged in April). Another triathlon event of more recent vintage, the Jamaica Rose Hall Triathlon, is also bidding for international attention and will have its renewal come November in the western capital of Montego Bay.