As Trinidad and Tobago joins the rest of the world in celebrating the West Indies dominance of World T20 cricket, sport tourism continues to play a vitally important role in our country’s social, cultural, economic and infrastructural development. The year 2016 is already a period of great celebration and renewal for sport in the Caribbean and Trinidad and Tobago is set to build a sustainable sport tourism niche, diversify visitor and resident experiences, while highlighting the islands’ unique attributes.

Cricket is a beloved sport in Trinidad and Tobago. Even international cricket fans that follow their teams on tour will say that you haven’t experienced cricket until you have experienced it in Trinidad and Tobago. Tournaments being played in Trinidad and Tobago this year include the Caribbean Premier League Cricket (CPL T20) scheduled to bowl off in July 2016.

The Tobago International Cycling Classic is ranked as one of the world’s leading sporting events and has successfully intensified Tobago and Trinidad’s Sport Tourism initiative due to its global reputation and incredible potential as a foreign exchange earner for both islands.

Following the strategic alliance formed with ESPN in 2011, the Tobago International Cycling Classic and Tobago took centre stage to an estimated audience of over one hundred million households in two hundred cities across five continents. In 2013, the event saw record-breaking participation of over 300 international, regional and local cyclists from 25 countries; an increase of over 100 percent compared to previous record years in 2011 and 2012.

Trinidad and Tobago continues to be the destination of choice for events such as the 2016 Trinidad and Tobago Cycling Federation Easter International Grand Prix and the 2016 Women’s Junior Pan American Hockey Championships which have positioned sport tourism as an important emerging sector with the capacity for entrepreneurial development, employment creation, youth empowerment and earning foreign revenue.

Now on the sporting calendar for the first time in 2016 is the Tobago International Sea to Sea Marathon-an event that will attract 500 runners and visitors from around the world for a full weekend of activities including 5K and 10K races and half and full marathons in May 2016.