19th January 2024
The International Cricket Council (ICC) 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup is projected to bring in over US$300mn for the Caribbean in the coming months.
Scheduled for 1 to 29 June 2024 across the Caribbean and the US, the ninth edition of the tournament will see several Caribbean countries hosting matches for the highly anticipated event.
“This tournament is projected to yield over US$300mn in direct economic impact for the Caribbean. Moreover, it is anticipated to captivate more than a billion viewers worldwide through television broadcasts, further elevating the global stature of the Caribbean as a sporting and tourist destination,” said Cricket West Indies (CWI) President, Kishore Shallow.
Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago are the six Caribbean countries chosen to host the 55 matches, along with New York City, Dallas, Texas, and Florida in the US.
Dominica had initially been shortlisted to host matches but subsequently pulled out after assessments showed that renovations to the cricket stadium could not be completed in time.
Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Dallas is set to host the tournament opener between the USA and Canada on 1 June, while the Kensington Oval in Barbados will host the final on 29 June.
“The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 marks an exciting expansion of our sport with more teams than ever before set to compete in this event. It’s going to be an incredible spectacle bringing together 20 international teams from Africa, the Americas, Asia, East-Asia Pacific and Europe,” said ICC Chief Executive, Geoff Allardice.
A study of the 2007 Cricket World Cup hosted in the Caribbean, reported that attendance for the tournament averaged 11,176 persons per match. In Guyana, attendees typically formed groups of three individuals and stayed for an average of 7.65 nights. Visitors spent an average of US$1,902 on lodging and US$934 on food and beverages, while total daily visitor spending was estimated at US$191.
Regional organisers are hoping that this year’s tournament can attract similar levels of visitors and spending to provide Caribbean countries with a needed economic boost as they shake of the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This influx of visitors, heightened tourism, and burgeoning business prospects will create a ripple effect,” predicted Shallow of the upcoming tournament, adding that “the impact on jobs, revenue streams, and the overall quality of life for our citizens will be substantial”.
Additionally, in preparation for the tournament, Caribbean governments are set to inject significant sums into local economies by spending millions to renovate and upgrade stadia in order to meet ICC standards for hosting World Cup matches.
For example, St Vincent and the Grenadines, which will host two Group Matches and two Super-8 Matches, has allocated some US$4.44mn to renovate the Arnos Vale Sporting Complex ahead of the tournament, while Antigua and Barbuda are looking to spend at least US$2.6mn to prepare the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
In late 2023, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley signed a US$25mn loan with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to renovate and upgrade the Kensington Oval ahead of the cricket World Cup and to help with its future maintenance.
“This region must give our cricketers the best available coaching and technology if they are to be able to resume their global position in cricket,” said Mottley.
The 2024 event will be the third time a men’s World Cup will be held in the West Indies, and the first in 14 years. The Caribbean previously hosted the 2007 ODI World Cup and the 2010 World T20.
“It will also be great to have an ICC event back in the West Indies, which has such a rich history of the game. It has hosted World Cups with great success in the past and this tournament will certainly provide a boost to the game there, especially with the final being played in Barbados,” said ICC’s Allardice.
This is a lead article from Caribbean Insight, The Caribbean Council’s flagship fortnightly publication. From The Bahamas to French Guiana, each edition consists of country-by-country analysis of the leading news stories of consequence, distilling business and political developments across the Caribbean into a single must-read publication. Please follow the links on the right-hand side of this page to subscribe, or access a free trial.
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