Sports tourism
There is a certain tension between sporting events and tourism, namely that it needs to be clear from the start whether an event is designed to bring publicity to Bermuda, and thus raise the Island’s exposure, or if its main aim is to bring visitors directly to the Island for the event.The ideal is to both bring exposure to Bermuda and to draw visitors at the same time, but this is a bonus. One or the other will do.Two recent events bring this home very clearly. Last week’s PGA Grand Slam of Golf is aimed primarily at raising awareness of Bermuda as a tourist destination through the television exposure the event garners.The Corporate Games, which took place despite dismal weather this weekend, is aimed more at bringing visitors to the Island for the purposes of fun competition and networking.The Grand Slam, which may have seen its last tournament played here, has never really fulfilled its promise. It has been very difficult to get actual viewership figures for the event, but it did not rate in the top 25 of cable TV shows for the nights it is shown in the US.The question is whether it is worth the $1.5 million Bermuda pays the PGA to stage the event in Bermuda. Tourism Minister Wayne Furbert estimated the event brought in $2 million in direct spending in 2011, so that might be seen as a gain. But, as this newspaper pointed out earlier this year, other events bring in much greater multiples of what it costs tourism to stage them.In the absence of reliable ratings figures, it is impossible to say if this event is worth it, and it eats up about 75 percent of the Government’s current $2 million sports tourism budget.The Corporate Games receives much less money, and brings very little overseas exposure. But its aim was to bring people to Bermuda.By that measure, it was a disappointment, as just 70 overseas visitors registered to compete. It may well be a successful local event, but if that’s the case, Tourism should not be involved. All of this is said against the background of the increase in spending for sports tourism that was announced on Monday.The timing of this announcement isn’t the only curious thing about it, since it is well out of the Budget cycle. But it is no coincidence and rather cynical that a Government that has no money and must keep borrowing can find funds for various vote-pleasing initiatives just weeks before a general election is held. Voters are not that naive, are they?In any case, there is no evidence of a plan for the increase in sports tourism spending. It’s not clear the Grand Slam is coming back. If it does not, that would free up enormous sums for other events. Even if it does come back, it is not clear what is being considered.A report has been written, but MP Randy Horton, who is to head this initiative, is still reading it.It must also be obvious by now that the most successful sporting events from a tourism perspective are those that have evolved within Bermuda, rather than those that are imposed from the top down.The World Rugby Classic is the best example. It gets very little public funding — and its budget was cut last year when Government apparently thought sports tourism was not as important as it does now — but attracts a large number of players, their families and friends and fans, along with a worldwide audience.Similarly, International Race Weekend brings in hundreds of runners and walkers while the various international sailing events, all of which have strong local connections, also bring in thousands of well-heeled visitors, all with minimal Government support.While all of these events receive some public funding, none depend on it. But they bring in visitors and they also spread the word about the Island in targeted areas.The Tourism Ministry could also look back in history to the very start of College Weeks, which began with Spring Break rugby tournaments. Staging similar tournaments for rugby, lacrosse and other spring college sports would bring new visitors to Bermuda who, it is to be hoped, would keep coming back.Bermuda cannot compete in the sun stakes for spring break against Florida, Mexico or Arizona, but it can in sports.And if local organisations sponsored these events, or they also involved local competitors, they would have a real chance of success.What will not work is the current unfocused approach, which seems not to know whether to promote expensive, big name events or smaller, high participation events that would oput tourists in beds and spread the word about Bermuda to other potential visitors through the best form of advertising word of mouth.