Sports tourism’s US$B future
CWI’s Chief Executive Officer Chris Dehring lays out roadmap at SOTIC
Published:Friday | October 3, 2025 | 12:10 AMJanet Silvera/Gleaner Writer
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados:
Sports tourism could deliver more than US$2 billion to the Caribbean by 2030, and one of the region’s most influential sports executives believes the time to act is now.
Speaking at the State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) 2025 at the Hilton Barbados yesterday, chief executive officer of Cricket West Indies (CWI), Chris Dehring, declared that cricket, the Caribbean’s most global sporting asset, holds the key to unlocking unprecedented growth.
“I don’t get depressed when we’re bowled out for 27,” he said, recalling a day when airport workers across every checkpoint confronted him about the state of West Indies cricket. “The only thing worse would have been if nobody cared. And people still care, deeply. That passion is our biggest asset.”
Dehring, who spearheaded the 2007 Cricket World Cup, described a “perfect storm” of opportunity now facing the region. Cricket commands a global fan base of two and a half billion people, with the United States already emerging as the sport’s second most valuable television market after India.
Registered players there have doubled in just two years, from 200,000 to 400,000, with more than 400 leagues operating across the country. Latin America is also rising fast, with Brazil boasting nearly 90,000 registered cricketers, half of them women, and cricket returning to both the Pan American Games in 2027 and the Olympic Games in Los Angeles the following year.
“It’s not just about India,” Dehring told delegates. “Whether that billionaire cricket fan flies here from Silicon Valley, London or Delhi doesn’t matter. What matters is that cricket gives us a direct line to some of the wealthiest, most powerful people in the world, and we have the ultimate stage: the Caribbean.”
Training academy
To seize this moment, he unveiled plans for a world-class training academy in Antigua that will serve both Caribbean athletes and international teams seeking professional-grade off-season facilities. The 20-acre development will include simulators, batting cages, classrooms and a cricket academy that integrates academics with elite sports training. It will double as a sports tourism hub, drawing teams and fans from across the globe, while also housing a West Indies cricket museum and interactive experiences where visitors can virtually face legends like Joel Garner.
He also emphasised the region’s ability to tap into its diaspora and emerging markets. With 50 million members of the Commonwealth diaspora living in the United States, many among the highest income earners, the Caribbean is uniquely positioned to engage this group. Across Latin America, Argentina, Chile and Peru are building competitive leagues and, in Brazil, young female cricketers already dream of playing in the Caribbean.
Dehring’s third focus was on developing cricket-themed tourism products that go beyond stadiums. He floated the idea of Caribbean cricket cruises, similar to sold-out themed music voyages that combine live performances with destination stops. He also issued a challenge to regional hotels and airlines, pointing out that while cricket has spent more than US$200 million with them over the past 15 years, sponsorship support has been negligible.
“This isn’t charity,” he said. “It’s a commercial relationship, you benefit from us, so it makes sense to invest.”
For Dehring, the stakes are clear. Cricket is more than a game, it is a global communication platform. With matches broadcast to 100 million households annually and the Caribbean brand already synonymous with rhythm and flair, he said the region must stop underselling itself.
“This isn’t about nostalgia,” he concluded. “It’s about using what we already have, cricket, our islands, our culture, and building something the rest of the world wants to be part of.”