The 11th Bryden Stokes Darts Festival has had a significant impact on the sport locally and delivered valuable tourism income at a time when it is needed, says Bryden Stokes CEO Andrew Lewis.
He said the company was pleased to have been associated with the recent event which “has established itself as the most prestigious annual event of its kind in the Caribbean region”.
Lewis said the tournament attracted a total of 41 participants from Britain, the United States and Canada and most of them stayed for 12 to 14 nights. Only one couple stayed in an all-inclusive resort and this meant that restaurants, bars, taxis and other retail outlets benefited from their custom. Most of the group also went on a catamaran cruise and the island safari.
“In stark contrast, we only had one visitor [each] from Cayman, St Lucia, St Vincent [and] Bahamas . . . . We usually get about 20. The reason for this is not difficult to work out when we learnt that the air fare from St Lucia to Barbados is greater than the air fare from St Lucia to New York.
“However, we were still delighted to welcome 24 participants from Trinidad and four from Guyana,” Lewis said.
Festival director Michael Heal said that the feedback from participants had been most encouraging and some of those from Britain, the United States and Canada had already signed up for the 2014 event and promised to bring more of their family and friends with them.
He said the prestigious event could not have taken place without the continued support of the team at Bryden Stokes.
“I would also like to recognize the contribution of the Tourism Development Corporation, who have helped with the promotional campaign in Europe, USA and Canada and the BTA [Barbados Tourism Authority] who have helped with the costs of hiring Solidarity House and the transport required to get the overseas participants to this well-appointed venue,” Heal added.
Austrian Aaron Hardy took the Carib men’s singles title, while Barbadian Lisa Greene took the women’s doubles title.
The 2014 festival is scheduled for November 1 to 11. (MH/PR)
