Cricket World Cup will boost Caribbean economies - Antigua PM
Published by www.jamaicaobserver.com on Feb 25, 2007
Feb 25, 2007

Caribbean nations will reap lasting economic benefits from staging the Cricket World Cup, according to Winston Baldwin Spencer, Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda.

Antigua, a 108-square mile island of 70,000 people, is one of nine Caribbean states hosting the event in March and April. Twelve stadiums have been built or refurbished at a cost of US$300 million, while governments have upgraded infrastructure for a tournament that organisers say will attract 100,000 tourists.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for Caribbean countries to prove that smallness in itself should not be a deterrent to doing great things," Spencer said in an interview at the opening ceremony of Antigua's new US$60-million stadium. "The Caribbean as a whole is going to benefit immensely."

The extra tourism may boost a group of nations with 5 million people combined and whose growth will slow to 8.2 per cent in 2007 from 12.3 per cent last year, according to International Monetary Fund forecasts. Cricket's quadrennial jamboree begins March 13 and will be watched by 2.2 billion television viewers worldwide, organisers said.

The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua was one of three in the region that were funded by the Chinese government in a bid to strengthen ties with the Caribbean. The Antigua & Barbuda government has spent US$28 million on security and improving roads, hotels and telecommunications.

"We may not see the immediate returns in six months or a year but in the long term we will benefit from the exposure, the kind of economic activity that was generated," Spencer said. "We'll see continued growth as a result."

Repeat Factor

Viv Richards, a former West Indies captain, said the region's passion for cricket, music and parties would have most visitors wanting to return. Antigua gets more than half of its income from tourism.