Sports Tourism Gets Boost on the Cayman Islands

Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach is again in the international spotlight, this time ranked sixth place on a list of the World’s Most Athletic Beaches by fitness and wellness website Q is Equinox.

The site noted the many sporting activities that take place on the seven-mile stretch of sand. From beach runs, bike rides, and water sports like stand-up paddle boarding or snorkelling to the sporting events that traverse the area, such as the Off The Beaten Track Marathon, the Flowers Sea Swim and the Cayman Islands Triathlon.

“I am very pleased that the beauty and magnificence of Seven Mile Beach has once again been recognised and our Islands have received this level of exposure within the fitness and wellness niche sector,” said Minister of Tourism and Deputy Premier Hon Moses Kirkconnell.

“Wellness travel is a growing trend and the popularity of vacations which include physical activity combined with cultural and culinary aspects is on the rise. Along with having beaches that consistently rate among the best in the Caribbean, the range and quality of our tourism product offers the perfect balance for visitors wanting to relax and rejuvenate while enjoying a fitness-focused vacation in the Cayman Islands,” he added.

Kirkconnell said Cayman has been host to numerous sporting events ranging from regional tournaments to major international events and has become a preferred sports tourism destination.

Highlighting the country’s ability to “skilfully” manage such events Kirkconnell noted, “In Cayman Brac for example, government’s vision for stimulating economic growth has been to focus on infrastructure development to meet the needs of players, officials and spectators. Recent upgrades to the Cayman Brac playing field have included the provision of four new changing room buildings and perimeter lighting, and future development plans include a 400m athletics track and a 25-metre swimming pool.”

He continued, “With enhanced facilities in place, Cayman Brac is able to be among the consideration set as a host destination for smaller scale international or regional tournaments. This helps to boost incremental stayover arrivals particularly in the shoulder season and provides an immediate injection of cash into the economy, which filters through the community to benefit a wide range of industry providers and support services.”

The ministry responsible for sports said sports tourism can be beneficial to the Cayman Islands by helping to increase its international profile through media exposure and positive word of mouth referrals. It also helps to create opportunities for growth of local athletes in addition to increasing tourism arrivals and spending which can be even more important if events are in the off season months, the ministry said.

Referring to what the ministry is doing to further develop sports tourism in Cayman, Assistant Chief Officer Joel Francis said, “The Ministry of Sports as far as possible strives to build its sports infrastructure to international standards to take advantage of sports tourism opportunities. (For) example Truman Bodden Sports Complex as well as the Ed Bush and T.E. McField Sports Centres have hosted international level football matches during the day or night. Similarly, the Truman Bodden Sports Complex can host international level track and field events in the day or night and other events such as the Rugby Big Game Series.”

He added, “(The) Ministry of Sports has a good working relationship with sports associations and work with them to make their sports tourism proposals a reality through sponsorship and other assistance (for) example within the last 12 months we have had the Grasspiece Promotions’ Cayman International Youth Cup; the West Sports Foundations’ Cayman Airways Cup; Cayman Islands National Squash Association’s Caribbean Senior Squash Championships (this summer); Cayman Open Tennis Tournament; the Flowers Sea Swim; Volleyball Federation’s NORCECA Beach Volleyball Tournament and the Cayman Invitational Track Meet, among others.”

He mentioned that the government works to ensure the islands’ facilities are in good condition, the environment is clean, the hospitals are of high standard and crime is relatively low.

Though Cayman is reaping the benefits of sports tourism the exact monetary value this type of tourism brings to the country is unknown. “It is difficult to precisely quantify revenue earned from sport tourism as the benefits impact many areas. For example, the influx of visitors for a sports tourism event drives a corresponding demand for support services such as hotel accommodations, restaurants, transportation and car hire services,” said Francis.

Organisers of Off The Beaten Track, Flowers Sea Swim and Cayman Islands Triathlon have all said the funds raised from their events trickle down into the country’s economy. Anna Keating, Global Head of Marketing for KRyS-Global said Off The Beaten Track this year raised over $17,000 for charity. The funds were split between one Cayman charity, Meals on Wheels, and Facing Africa, an international charity. 2015 was also the first year that the event attracted international participants which included a team of six and one individual.

Trevor Murphy, president of the Cayman Islands Triathlon Association, said the event traditionally breaks even and around $2000 is donated to a charity of the title sponsor’s choice. This year the title sponsor is Elian and the donation will be going to the Cayman Islands Cancer Society. He said each year the event attracts around 180 people with between five per cent and 10 per cent being tourists.

“The Flowers Sea Swim raises approximately $50,000 towards worthy local charities annually which benefits the most needy in our society. There is a larger trickle-down effect as approximately 40 per cent of our participants travel from overseas to participate, injecting money into our economy during the slow summer season,” Dara Flowers-Burke said. She added that this year over 900 participants were involved in the Flowers Mile and over 100 in the Flowers 10k and 5k. Of the 40 per cent who were visitors, many brought friends and family as well, she said.

Source: The Cayman Reporter