THAG President: CPL a major boost to tourism sector

With two successful tournaments hosted in succession here in Guyana, the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is driving the tourism sector forward.

This is according to President of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Mitra Ramkumar.

Speaking on the latest edition of Ignite Insights, Ramkumar pointed out that sports tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the industry across the world, and brings tremendous benefits to Guyana as a destination.

“What it does is it catapults the industry. When you can host a big sporting event as a destination, it gets you into that market. So, you are now able to do other sporting events because you have the capacity to do it. It builds the industry and you create a traction to the destination. And so it benefits all,” he said.

Ramkumar outlined that key players in the sector such as local businesses, hotels, restaurants, and tour operators that host participating teams benefit directly from the hosting of the tournament.

He said this also creates an enabling environment for the private sector to generate business, adding that the tourism industry experiences an upsurge in tour bookings during CPL events.

“It’s an industry, a market that’s being built, and a whole sector, a segment within the tourism industry that is being built. It’s gone to a huge level and I believe it’s growing a hundred folds every time the season comes back. CPL I would say is the biggest sporting event tournament that we have in Guyana,” Ramkumar shared.

Ramkumar further explained that the diaspora plays a significant role in the tourism and hospitality market, as many Guyanese return home to experience the event and tourism destinations.

He further noted that everyone in turn benefits from the rise in consumer capacity, including supermarkets, market vendors, and caterers, among others.

THAG President Mitra Ramkumar