The Nassau Guardian had two great articles today about the soon-to-open Thomas Robinson National Stadium and sports tourism investments and exepected return on investment for those projects nationwide.
Stadium Reserved for 'high ticket' events only
The minister of youth, sports, and culture insists the new $50 million stadium will only be used for large events that can come close to filling its 15,000 seats. They are looking to get a corporate sponsor for naming rights over the stadium and hiring a private management firm to run it and attract events.
Sports tourism to generate $100M by 2014
The government says that a few years ago sports represented just an expense on their budget sheet. Now it is generating $10M in revenue. By 2014 they expect that it could add $100M to the economy and represent 5% of all hotel stays in the country. They say these numbers will justify the expenses in sports infrustructure going on on New Providence, Grand Bahama, Abaco and some other islands.