Sports tourism encompasses trips taken specifically to watch or participate in sports. It stimulates business development, foreign currency exchange and job creation.
According to Dr. Esther Byer Suckoo, minister of youth, family and sports, tourism accounts for about 31.1 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the Caribbean.
The Caribbean is primarily known for cricket, baseball, football (soccer) and track.
In the last decade, the Caribbean has hosted several international-scale events, primarily in its main sports focuses. These events have demonstrated that the region is capable of hosting large-scale events and will be used by the Caribbean Tourism Organization to draw future events. Events include the World Cup of Golf in 2006, the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007 and the CLOBI Masters Cricket Tournament in 2009.
Several internationally known athletes are from the Caribbean. As these athletes compete on the international sports stage, they bring further recognition to the region, which further promotes tourism in general. Some of the most well-known athletes include Patrick Ewing (basketball), Dwight Yorke (soccer/football), Lennox Lewis (boxing), Vivian Richards (cricket) and Arthur Wint (track).
