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Tradewatch
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The Official E-Newsletter of the Caribbean Export Development Agency • Vol.9 No. 1 January - March 2015
EXPORT SUCCESS
T20 cricket has reignited the imagination and draws
crowds back to the stadiums for fast-paced games. Think
of what it can do for tourism and the economy!
When people think of cricket in the Caribbean, often it
conjures up images of children playing on the pristine sandy
beaches against a backdrop of turquoise water with the sun
shining endlessly against it.
That’s a rather romantic image of yesteryear, as today you
are more likely to find children playing football on the beach and
basketball in the parks.
For quite a few years, regional and even international cricket
had been played in the West Indies, more often than not, to
half empty stadiums, but the inaugural Caribbean Premier
League (CPL) Twenty20 (T20) competition finally reignited the
imagination of disgruntled fans.
In July and August of 2013, the Caribbean witnessed sold-
out stadiums, captivated crowds and international investment
far surpassing what the organisers had ever expected. The CPL
represents for the region a great opportunity to exploit sport
tourism, which is a fast growing sector of the global travel
industry.
It was in September 2012 that the West Indies Cricket Board
announced that it had finalized an agreement with Ajmal
Khan, founder of Verus International, to fund the league which
operates under a franchise model comprising six teams—the
Antigua Hawksbills, the Barbados Tridents, the Guyana Amazon
Warriors, the Jamaica Tallawahs, the Saint Lucia Zouks and the
Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel.
The Caribbean: Sun, Sea, Sand and Sport
T20 was introduced in 2003 as a new format for the game,
a fast and furious version that has become an instant success
with cricket fanatics, and has also delivered significant value to
multiple partners—teamowners, broadcasters and sponsors alike.
Global interest has grown significantly and this high-energy
game has a natural home within the Caribbean, synonymous
with vibrant, colourful Carnivals and a party atmosphere. High
energy is exactly what was experienced at every CPL T20 game
that was played during the summer of 2013. “There is nowhere
in the world that I have ever experienced an atmosphere like
what we had at CPL,” said CPL Chief Executive Officer Damien
O’Donohoe in a recent interview.
The T20 series hosted more than 250,000 fans across six
countries and 36 million viewers worldwide. Approximately
US $4.868 million was spent in and around the stadiums,
which could result in an economic impact of US $91 million
when hotels, travel, food and other services are taken into
consideration.
These figures cannot be taken lightly, especially in view of
the ratio between regional visitors and international tourists
attending the games. As much as 90% of league has been funded
from within the region, with Digicel as the global sponsor and
Guyana’s Limacol as the title sponsor. The success proves that
there is spending power within the region, O’Donohoe said, and
“with the right structure and the right team, we can deliver a
world-class event in the Caribbean as the CPL is second only to
the Indian Premiere League.”
Continued on Page 10