Synergies between niches within the Barbados tourism product continue as the 2012 staging of the annual Cruise to Run will take place next Friday, January 27, with the island’s Brandons area as the backdrop.
This year, which marks the sixth installment of the event, has recorded a commendable number of registrations, which has already resulted in double the participants seen in 2011.
More than 282 visiting runners have already committed to participating in the popular 5km race, and will be joined by their Barbadian counterparts who will be mostly secondary school students.
The route for the 5k will once again be the revisited route implemented last year by race coordinator the late Jerry Friesen, starting at Brandons (Weisers) through Brighton and onto the  Spring Garden Highway headed north towards the first turn around point just past SBI Distribution, down to the Flour Mill and return.
In keeping with tradition, 2012 will also see some of the runners, on completion of the road race, embark on a short swim from Weisers to the flour mill and back.
The objective behind the Cruise to Run event is not only to provide a quality sporting event for avid runners, but also to encourage participants to come back to the island for leisure and ultimately to participate in the ever-growing Run Barbados series.
As a result, the BTA would like to advise the public of the following traffic diversion in order to facilitate the 2012 Cruise to Run: Friday January 27, from 8:00 a.m. until 10:30 a.m., there will be a traffic diversion in effect along the following section of the Spring Garden Highway: The Berger Paints Roundabout heading south to the Flour Mill.
Motorists are kindly asked to adhere to the traffic mandates within these respective areas on the day. The BTA and the organizers of the 2012 Barbados Cruise to Run sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused.
For further information on the 2012 Cruise to Run event, contact the Sports Department at the Barbados Tourism Authority on 467 3600.
 

Canadian Football CAMP ON TRACK FOR may

Mainstream Canadian press is now making news of the fact that this May, Barbados will host the Canadian Football League Players’ Association (CFLPA) 2012 FANtasy sports camp.
In the January 17 – 30, 2012 edition of GSA Travel magazine, Barbados is highlighted in the ‘Barbados Gets on the Ball’ piece which features the upcoming FANtasy camp. GSA Travel is a travel trade magazine targeted towards the travel and tourism industry in Western Canada. The magazine is based in Vancouver and is published twice monthly.
The piece confirms that this Spring, some 24 CFL players will be heading to Barbados along with 16 lucky winners out of a giveaway promotion for some one-on-one drills and island excursions in the ultimate ‘FANtasy Camp’.
In addition to offering major exposure for Barbados within the dedicated CFL fan base, coordinator of the FANtasy Camp, Greg Albrecht, initially highlighted that giving back to the Barbadian public, especially the youth, was a major objective of the CFLPA.
Organisers are confident that this effort will serve as a catalyst to introducing American-styled football to that Barbadian sporting landscape as it was one of the things that were important to cultural exchange.
Last May, the island welcomed a contingent of players and organizers to the island to film a pilot which ran during the 2011 season. Players included: Korey Banks –BC Lions; Rob Murphy – Toronto Argonauts; Juwan Simpson – Calgary Stampeders; Anthony Calvillo – Montreal Alouettes; Doug Brown – Winnipeg Blue Bombers; Weston Dressler – Saskatchewan Rough Riders; Patrick Kabongo – Edmonton Eskimos; Marwan Hage – Hamilton Tiger Cats, former Hamilton Tiger Cats’ Slotback, Mike Morreale (now Director Marketing, Pro Players)
Last year’s visit also marked major first, as the Grey Cup trophy, the trophy awarded to the victorious team of the Canadian Football League championship, made only its second trip outside of Canada, the first being a trip to Afghanistan to honour the Canadian troops.
The CFL season runs from June to November with 2 pre-season games, 18 regular season game, 2 playoff games and the final, the Grey Cup game being played the last weekend in November.
The Grey Cup trophy was donated in 1909 by the then Governor General of Canada, the Earl Grey. It was awarded to the top amateur Rugby Football Champion that was registered with the Canada Rugby Union until 1954. Since then it has only been awarded to teams within the CFL.
The Grey Cup is the most watched sporting event in Canada, drawing an average of 6 million viewers.
 

SPEECH PERFECT!

Participants of the Speech Competition with Chairperson Dionne Weekes, Outgoing Junior Minister

Ten confident and inspiring secondary students took part in this year’s Ministry of Tourism Annual Speech Competition at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre on January 16, 2012.
The session was attended by some of the heavyweights in the tourism industry: the Chairman of the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA), Adrian Elcock, the President of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA), Colin Jordan, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Shelley Carrington and other representatives from the Ministry and from the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO)
Of the adult speakers the most impactful was probably the Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Richard Sealy.  He shared with his audience an interesting piece of news yet to be released, that is, The Vision Statement for the Tourism Sector in Barbados.  This was expressed in this form and format: “Delivering an unmatched experience that is truly Barbadian, created by a warm, welcoming, friendly people, ensuring benefits to the entire nation.”
The Parliamentarian announced that he was “heartened by the crowd I see today” and asked those in attendance “to take that vision and build on it” He opined that it was “truly Barbadian.”
 

Junior Minister 2011-2012 Christoper Morgan accepting his prize trophy from PS Shelley Carrington Ministry of Tourism

After the Minister’s speech and the introduction of the participants by the Junior Minister of Tourism 2010-2011, Dionne Weekes, the schoolchildren took part in a simulated Board Room discussion on the topics of agro-tourism and cultural heritage tourism.
Stage 2 was the Mystery Question, related to two activities in which a Swedish family could participate during their stay on the island.
Interviewing of the schoolchildren was the last activity related to the participants. The subsequent winners of the competition were (1st) Christopher Morgan of Harrison’s College, Junior Minister of Tourism 2011-2012 and the recipient of a trophy, BDS $500 and a summer internship; (2nd) Kemar Roberts, also of Harrison College, who received BDS $ 300 along with a trophy and internship; and (3rd) Jane Small of St. James Secondary, who received BDS $200 along with a trophy and an internship.
The Ministry of Tourism’s Annual Speak-off Competition is a component of the Tourism Education Awareness and Me (TEAM) Awareness Programme developed to prepare students participating in the Caribbean Tourism Organization Regional Annual Youth Congress.