The Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) play-offs are already delivering a welcome boost to Barbados’ tourism sector, with some hotels reporting a surge in occupancy as overseas cricket fans arrive for the tournament’s historic final week.
Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association chief executive officer Ryan Forde said they did not yet have property-by-property figures, but there had been an increase in business.
“I don’t have data per se to speak to it, however there has been an increase. Can’t say to which properties, but like all other mainstream events, we do see an uptick in business,” he stated yesterday.
Hilton Barbados assistant marketing manager for sales and marketing Bea Dottin told the DAILY NATION the resort had “very limited availability” from today right up until next Tuesday.
She said she could “safely say” some of the bookings were attributable to visitors coming to Barbados for the CPL.
At Radisson Aquatica, general manager Gerry Lewis was equally upbeat, reporting occupancy of between 75 and 80 per cent as the men’s playoffs and final approached. “We had quite a few rooms occupied over the period and we had a couple of the women CPL teams staying here.”
He said the hotel had experienced “strong occupancy for the past two weeks”, with some nights boosted by in-transit guests. “Now that the men’s play-off and finals are here we are about 75 to 80 full.”
Lewis said the performance was particularly significant because September remained a traditionally slower period.
Cicely Callender, executive director of Intimate Hotels of Barbados, said the organisation was still gathering information from its member properties.
Strong demand
“I would have to actually reach out to my member properties to find out that information for you. I don’t have that information to hand for me to comment on that right now,” she said.
The hotel reports come as online ticketing shows strong demand for the decisive matches. The final four men’s matches are being staged for the first time in the tournament’s 14-year history at the Oval, with the grand final set for Sunday.
The official CPL ticketing platform listed all four men’s play-off matches as having “limited availability”.
A check yesterday for tonight’s Qualifier 1 between Guyana Amazon Warriors and Antigua and Barbuda Falcons showed the Worrell Weekes Walcott Stand Level 2 and Greenidge & Haynes Stand Level 2 as sold out, while tickets remain available in several other categories.
Tomorrow’s Qualifier 2 has also seen two major seating sections sell out, with Worrell Weekes Walcott Level 2 and Greenidge & Haynes Level 2 unavailable, while the CPL Party Stand is also sold out.
The strongest demand is for Sunday’s championship match which begins at 7 p.m.
The official ticketing platform lists Worrell Weekes Walcott Levels 1 and 2, Greenidge & Haynes Levels 1 and 2, Hall & Griffith Level 3, Hewitt & Inniss Levels 1 and 3, and the Hewitt & Inniss Suite 232 as sold out.
The international pull of the tournament was evident months before the play-offs arrived. CPL chief executive Pete Russell said in January that nearly 80 per cent of tickets in the first release had been purchased by supporters living outside Barbados. (NS)
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