~ Effort to boost St. Maarten Sports Tourism appeal ~
PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Tourist Bureau (STB) is actively putting together a program to boosts its efforts to promote St. Maarten as a Sports Tourism destination. Entitled “St. Maarten Summer of Sports” campaign, STB has already targeted three events that it will seek to partner with and support for June/July 2017. All three events have the potential to attract athletes and sports enthusiasts from around the world to St. Maarten if these events are properly supported and structurally marketed.
Head of the STB Rolando Brison explained that STB has met with organizers of three established sports events, namely the Fittest on the Rock (an event geared toward athletics and Cross-Fit style competitions), the 7th annual Inter Islands Body Building Competition, and the Battle of the Fittest Basketball Tournament.
All events will be attracting athletes from around the Caribbean, and all events take place in the slow seasons, between June 1st and mid-July. “We are seeking a fourth event in the summer to support a create a series of sporting events in the summer that will be collectively marketing the entire island as an ideal place to enjoy fitness and sporting competitions,” Brison said.
He continued: "An important goal we have at the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau is to identify the events that have been attracting numerous people to the island by means of their sporting events and supporting them to ensure they can continue to grow each year. Sports Tourism is a growing industry within the world and particularly in the region.
“Our effort will extend beyond just supporting these and other sporting events where budget permits, but also by using all our promotional tools to help the organizers reach an even larger audience. One way we will do this promotes the collective of these summer sporting events though a "St. Maarten Summer of Sports" marketing campaign.”
He added that government’s support will also depend on the time submissions of necessary required documents and information by the organizers of these events. He also said that STB’s efforts to boost Sports Tourism will not only focus on the Summer months, rather look at the potential of supporting major sporting events in collaboration with other stakeholders, budget permitting.
Fittest on the rock
Fittest on the Rock is an event featuring local and foreign athletes and was held at the Blue Mall Cupecoy on Saturday, May 30th, 2015 for the first time. The event is a strength and endurance workout competition where the participants take part in various workouts. The event had a total of 60 registered athletes, 35 males, and 25 females, with participants form neighboring islands.
Inter-island Bodybuilding and Fitness
The 6th edition in 2016 had an important impact on 12 participating countries and 52 athletes. This year, organizers are expecting an increase in those numbers, including an anticipated 100 athletes. This event has also attracted representatives of two outside media sports magazine reporters namely: “Hybrid Caribbean Fitness and Wellness Magazine” out of Trinidad and Mr. Guillermo Asencio a sportswriter for the international Latino Sports Magazine “Muscular Development Latino Magazine” which covers the entire Latin region. All incoming countries federations / supporters will be housed at Simpson Bay Resorts and Marina and the grand showdown will take place at Maho Casino Royale.
Battle of the Fittest Basketball Tournament
The purpose of Battle of The Fittest Basketball Tournament is re-instill the love for basketball and inspire and motivate our younger generation to showcase their skills and possibly offer them an opportunity to do so on an international level. Battle of the Fittest brings the greatest collection of basketball talent within the region and surrounding Islands. Organizers have informed STB that they have already 10 countries confirmed to be attending the event.
Tourist Bureau to kick-off Summer of Sports campaign.
