Sports education – a priority for Caribbean sports tourism

Abstract

PurposeThis paper has the objective of making the case for the development of sports education as a critical element in the growth of sports tourism in the Caribbean.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reviews some of the key definitions offered in the literature for sports, tourism, sports tourism and sports education. It then discusses the status of sports tourism in the Caribbean, using the CWC 2007 event as the main focus. The paper then proposes a template of a sports education curriculum for adoption in the Caribbean region.FindingsBoth the strengths and weaknesses of the sports tourism infrastructure in the Caribbean are reported in this paper. While the Caribbean possesses viable resources for tourism, as well as a strong foundation in sport, the institutional arrangements and formulae for developing sports tourism are either lacking or weak.Research limitations/implicationsA substantial body of writing and research has focused upon the tourism product of the Caribbean. However, there has been comparatively little attention directed towards the theoretical, policy and operational issues related to Caribbean sports tourism. This research lacuna creates a vacuum of intellectual support and guidance for tourism scholars, tourism and sport administrators.Practical implicationsThe author sees a direct route from this paper to the offices of tourism, sport and tertiary education administrators in the Caribbean. The paper proposes a workable model aimed at creating a greater synergy between sport and tourism in the Caribbean.Originality/valueTourism departments, directorates of sport, and institutions of tertiary education should derive benefit from the proposal and introduction of this novel construct in sports education and training.