Yet another edition of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is underway, with defending champions Saint Lucia Kings battling to retain their throne. Players and coaching staff may be focused on what happens on the field of play, but the impact of their performances goes far beyond the boundary. This is particularly true in terms of economic impact.
During last year’s tournament, the CPL says that the total economic impact of the world-renowned franchise event was US$22.4 million, a 21 per cent increase over the previous year. This figure included organiser spend, visitor spend and media/promotional value.
Additionally, under the Live & Louder concert events brand, which typically consists of live mid-game entertainment at CPL matches, the tournament not only enhanced its entertainment value to fans but also saw increased attendance at games with this new dimension added. Given this “resounding success”, as highlighted by Pete Russell, CPL chief executive officer, this element will be retained during matches at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground this season.
“It’s particularly special to see a significant increase in the tournament’s economic contribution to the island in the same year the Saint Lucia Kings lifted their first CPL title. This truly highlights the powerful synergy between sport, entertainment and economic growth,” Russell said.
Prior to Tuesday’s sitting of Parliament, Minister for Tourism Dr Ernest Hilaire expressed eagerness to see the gains realised from this year’s tournament.
“From a tourism perspective, the CPL for us is a big sporting initiative that provides a lot of coverage for Saint Lucia and, of course, [brings] visitors to Saint Lucia. We’re looking forward to that continued support and for people to come in supporting their respective teams,” Hilaire said.
The minister indicated that his ministry’s role, as it relates to sports tourism, is not so much about the sports development component of projects, which falls under the auspices of the Ministry for Youth Development & Sports. Rather, tourism officials are focused on how Brand Saint Lucia can benefit from the increased airtime and limelight provided by events like the CPL.
Hilaire announced the addition of a special sports tourism initiative at the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA) to work with national federations in promoting sports and sports tourism.
“We are in discussion with a clothing company to see how we can get some uniformity in terms of Saint Lucia’s representation overseas,” he said. “The recent team that went to the swim meet would have had the SLTA branding on their uniform, and you will see more of that as we look to the various national teams to carry this and share branding with them. Julien Alfred is already doing it, the Kings are already doing it, and we’ll continue to support and encourage teams to do so.”
These advancements come as local commentators such as Joseph Reds Perreira renew calls for an official sports tourism policy to further increase Saint Lucia’s economic gains.
