RIHANNA PARTNERSHIP WITH BTA

BARBADOS TOURISM AUTHORITY AND RIHANNA PARTNERSHIP
An estimated total of $21 million was spent by the visitors who attended the Rihanna Concert during their entire stay on the island. European visitors were the largest spenders, accounting for 53% of the total expenditure, spending US$11 million, almost twice as much as the North American visitors who spent US$5.7 million (27% of total expenditure). Visitors from other countries accounted for the remaining 20% of total expenditure, spending US $4.3 million, therefore constituting the smallest share.

It has been shown that just under 13,000 visitors to Barbados during the survey period attended the Rihanna LOUD Concert. However, less than 4,000 travelled to the country specifically for this purpose. US visitors comprised the largest group of patrons, while Canada and European countries (apart from the UK) were the least represented.

Additionally, this concert received one of the highest “excellent” ratings in terms of value for money, receiving impressive value-for-money index ratings from visitors from all markets, especially the US and Europe (non-inclusive of the UK) States, Canada and the United Kingdom along with local Barbadian supporters with the help of the Barbados Tourism Authority and their marketing efforts.

RIHANNA PARTNERSHIP WITH BTA

Research Generated from Post Concert August 5, 2011:

One of the best-selling artists of all time with more than 30 million records and 100 million singles sold, Rihanna has signed a multi-year deal with the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) to exclusively promote her hometown island of Barbados as a tourist destination.

The three-year partnership officially kicks off in Bridgetown, Barbados on August 5, 2011 with a full-length concert of her current “Loud” tour produced by the BTA and Roc Nation.

“Barbados is a place like no other and one of the reasons for this is the spirit and national pride of our people,” said Rihanna. “I want each and every visitor to this beautiful island to experience what makes this destination different from all others and that is the spirit and warmth of my fellow Barbadians.”

As an ambassador for the island of Barbados, over the next three years, Rihanna will exclusively promote the destination through advertising campaigns, promotional appearances and via her social media presence. In addition to her concert in Barbados this summer, Rihanna will promote travel to the island from Brazil during her appearance on tour in September.

“In the hearts of every Barbadian, Rihanna is known as the girl down the road, but to the world she has become a musical sensation and social phenomenon,” said Barbados’ Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Richard L. Sealy. “She is a great source of national pride to Barbados and we are thrilled to enter into this formal partnership to promote Barbados as a leading tourist destination.”

RIHANNA PARTNERSHIP WITH BTA

RIHANNA, AMBASSADRESS OF BARBADOS, MAKES ITS FIRST SHOW IN BRAZIL. SAO PAULO, BRAZIL, (SEPTEMBER 18, 2011)

David Rice, President of the Barbados Tourism Authority and Rihanna the city of São Paulo was the scene on the evening of Saturday (17/09) for the opening of the tour “The Loud Tour” Rihanna by Brazil. The market report & events also gave close attention to Rihanna’s presentation at the invitation of the Barbados Tourism Authority. Born in Barbados, the singer won this to the title of Ambassador of tourism of the island.

Through a campaign in social media, four fans won tickets to watch the show and could still take pictures with the artist behind the scenes. In addition to television personalities, the trade desk also marked its presence with Marco Ferraz, President of Braztoa and Director of Monark Carrier, Richard fields, SoftTravel and Christina Kler, Designer Tours. “We want to spend a positive of Barbados for the Brazilian market. Is a country with great potential”, said David Rice, President of the Barbados Tourism Authority.

In August, Rihanna signed a contract with the tourist authority and will promote the attractions of the Caribbean island to the world. On their tour in Brazil, the artist performs concerts in the cities of Belo Horizonte (18/09), Brasília (21/09) and Rio de Janeiro (23/09). “With this support, we are able to grow even more our participation in Brazil. Since we started in June last year direct flights with Gol, showed the importance of this market for the Barbados tourism “concluded Rice. By the end of this year, the island’s goal is to receive between 10 and 12 thousand Brazilian visitors.

NELLY FURTADO CONCERT

BARBADOS TOURISM AUTHORITY SPONSORS NELLY FURTADO
BARBADOS, (April 14, 2012)

Some of the biggest names in entertainment continue to make their way to Barbados. This time it’s Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress Nelly Furtado, who is known for hits like Powerless, Promiscuous and Say it Right.

Furtado arrived in Barbados for the annual CHUM FM Breakfast in Barbados promotion.

She will headline the concert set for tomorrow night at Holders, which will also feature K’Naan, and local artist Kirk Brown. The CHUM FM Breakfast in Barbados concert has already brought top artists to Barbados including Maroon 5, Jennifer Hudson, Katy Perry, Michael Buble, Kelly Clarkson, Barenaked Ladies and New Kids on the Block.

This year 154 prize winners travelled to Barbados as part of the promotion, gives Canadians a chance to win a trip to Barbados on the programme. (CM)

BOBBY JONES RELIGIOUS FESTIVAL

BARBADOS TOURISM AUTHORITY SPONSORS INAUGURAL RELIGIOUS CONCERT WITH DR. BOBBY JONES AND FRIENDS BARBADOS, (August 21, 2011)

A local pastor is appealing to the church community in this country to work together to help make Barbados the most preferred religious destination in the Caribbean. The call is coming from Senator Apostle David Durant. His comments came yesterday morning at the Hilton Hotel at the launch of the Barbados Tourism Authority’s event ‘Praise in Paradise with Bobby Jones and Friends’, which comes off next month.

Senator Durant, calling on his fellow pastors to get involved in the efforts to build such a market in Barbados, noted that it is estimated that religious tourism is a US$10 billion industry annual. Moreover, he said that according to the World Tourism Organization an estimated 330 million pilgrims visit religious sites annually and figures provided by the Religious Conference Management Association for 2006, revealed that more than 14.7 million people attend religious meetings.

That, he said, was an increase of more than 10 million from 1994. He added that in the past few years, faith tourism has entered a new era, driven not by pilgrimages as was the case in the past, but by missionary travel, religious cruises, concerts and the like, appealing to all demographics.

“We are encouraging religious tourism and hence the reason for this gathering today, because we believe that this is a niche market that we need to tap into,” he said. He continued, “The idea of a vacation combined with a religious activity is gathering momentum in recent years and has become a wonderful experience for faith-based or religious individuals.

“The vacation and religious activity combination is growing into a new unique niche market, it has become such a popular trend in recent times that a body was formed called World Religious Travel Association which will be hosting the world Religious Travel Expo this year October 29 – November 1 somewhere in Florida.”

He said that this is the first trade show and convention of its type to be held on a global scale for religious tourism and will bring together tour operators, cruise lines, representatives from destinations and other travel entities. He said that there is no doubt that religious tourism is becoming a very lucrative business and Barbados must get on board, so that we are not left behind.

“We have a beautiful paradise here, we have a beautiful island here, we have a fairly safe island here thank God, we have an island with great infrastructure, beautiful beaches, beautiful people and we ought to open our doors and really tap into this very important market,” he added. (JRT)

BARBADOS SPORTING WEBSITE

LAUNCH OF NEW SPORTING BARBADOS. LONDON, (DECEMBER 12, 2011)

The sports niche was the focal point during the just concluded World Travel Market in London as the as Minister of Tourism Hon. Richard Sealy launched the new Sporting Barbados website www.sporFngbarbados.com. Publishers of the magazine have turned their attention to establishing an online presence, through building the dynamic of the electronic version with much more detail on events and things happening to keep browsers totally up-to-date and encouraged to come to the island on a sporting holiday. Managing Director at Hiltop Publishing, Pamela Hiles, explained that due to a more internet-savvy consumer, the decision to have an electronic reference point for the magazine was the obvious step forward.

“Our new website has embraced this culture with more information on forthcoming events and, in particular, details about the actual events and their background. Browsers will be enticed by the general information and depending on the extent of their interest; they can move to different levels of information in seconds and hopefully choose Barbados. As always, the site is packed with vibrant colorful images and photographs as well as information on accommodation, activities, shopping, and car hire and island life.”

Sporting Barbados is traditionally launched at World Travel Market for the incoming year, but the publishers have lifted their marketing to another level with the introduction of their dynamic new website. The 15th Edition of the sports tourism publication features a strong sporting culture looking towards 2012. Sporting Barbados is an annual top-class glossy magazine that has done much to encourage visitors to the island by promoting the sporting and leisure attributes of this beautiful Caribbean paradise.

CHELSEA FOOTBALL

CHELSEA FOOTBALL SIGNS DEAL WITH BARBADOS
LONDON (September 22, 2011)

Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of a three-year deal with the Barbados Tourism Authority. The exclusive tourism partnership will help the BTA further promote the island of Barbados to a wider audience across three key territories – North America, the Caribbean and the UK. Chelsea will look to explore rolling out specific community football coaching programmes on the island and in the UK through the club’s award-winning charity, the Chelsea Foundation.

SIR GARRY SOBERS

BARBADOS TOURISM AUTHORITY SIR GARRY SOBERS GOLF TOURNAMENT
BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS (April 20, 2011)

he 10th Annual Sir Garry Sobers Golf Tournament which tees off on Thursday, April 28th will be played at four of Barbados most prestigious golf courses including the Sandy Lane Golf Club, Apes Hill, Royal Westmoreland and the Barbados Golf Club. This year’s tournament has attracted over 288 golfers from several countries including: Canada, United Kingdom, Antigua, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Jamaica, Martinique, St. Kitts, St. Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago.

David Rice, President and CEO noted that the company was thrilled to renew its support for the tournament, which is being held in partnership with the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) and the Tourism Development Corporation (TDC). One of the true greats of the cricket world. Garry Sobers was one of the most entertaining all-rounders. During the 1960s he was both one of the greatest batsman and also greatest bowlers of the decade. He was also an excellent fielder and delightfully modest – a true gent of the game.

Sir Garry was named a National Hero by the Government of Barbados in 1998, and has been a Tourism Ambassador for his country for many years, working with the BTA in promoting the island in several overseas markets.

MIAMI HEAT & DALLAS MAVERICKS SPONSORSHIP DEALS 2009-2013

BTA SPONSORS MIAMI HEAT – THREE YEAR DEAL
THE BARBADOS TOURISM AUTHORITY PICKS WINNING TEAMS THROUGH CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS
NEW YORK, (June 13, 2011)

The Dallas Mavericks came out on top in last night’s championship game, but Barbados Fans Always Win through the Barbados Tourism Authority’s (BTA) partnership of both the Dallas Mavericks and Miami HEAT. In celebration of both teams and their fans, Barbados is offering a trip giveaway to the Island of Barbados for one lucky winner in both Miami and Dallas.

Barbados Fans Always Win. “We are thrilled that both teams we’ve chosen to sponsor have made it into this year’s championship round,” says David M. Rice, President and CEO of the Barbados Tourism Authority. “Our sponsorship of both the HEAT and the Mavericks has been imperative in increasing visibility of Barbados tourism to key markets, through each team’s dedicated fan base. There is no doubt that with their successful seasons, Barbados visibility reached a maximum number of people and we look forward to continuing our partnerships in the upcoming season. We offer many congratulations to these teams for making it all the way!” The BTA is entering in to the final year with the Miami HEAT of a three-year corporate partnership deal. The agreement lasting through the 2011-2012 season has encompassed internet and radio promotions, trip giveaways, in-arena visibility and advertising in addition to several dedicated “Barbados Theme Nights” with on-court performances by Barbados dance troupe Venus Rising.

Similarly, to help promote the launch of the new non-stop flight from Dallas, Texas to Bridgetown, Barbados on American Airlines, in December 2010 the BTA partnered with the Dallas Mavericks for similar promotions, in-arena visibility and dedicated theme nights to promote travel to the Caribbean island. The Mavericks contract will last through the 2012-2013 season.

HEAT WINS CHAMPIONSHIP 2012
MIAMI, FLORIDA, (June 21, 2012)
As the Miami Heat lead skyrocketed Thursday night from five just after halftime to an insurmountable 24 by the end of the third quarter, their fans outside the American Airlines Arena decided it was time to celebrate the team’s second NBA championship in six years.

The thousands gathered in bars, restaurants and a park near the arena screamed in joy late Thursday as the Heat dropped one 3-pointer after another. Fans used the fourth quarter to get an early start on their party as they watched their team coast to a 121-106 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Heat won the series in five games / Oklahoma City Thunder. The Heat won the series in five games.

LAUNCH OF CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE CAMP
BARBADOS, (May 16, 2011)

Barbados is officially adding another international sports camp to its resume, as the Canadian Football League Players’ Association (CFLPA) has confirmed that Barbados will be host to their 2012 FANtasy sports camp. Most recently, a group of 8 players, a management team and a film crew visited the island to undertake a pilot programme to gather extensive footage to be used to launch the FANtasy promotion on July 17. This footage will run as a lead up to the football season kick-off in the fall. The largest component of the FANtasy camp is a contest which will be promoted through various media outlets, and will see 2 players paired up with 2 contest winners, who will all travel to Barbados in the Spring of 2012 to train for the new season. Co-ordinator of the FANtasy Camp, Greg Albrecht, confirmed that in addition to offering major exposure for Barbados within the dedicated CFL fan base, giving back to the Barbadian public, especially the youth, was a major objective of the CFLPA.

In addition, he acknowledged that the introduction of American-styled football was one of the things that were important to cultural exchange, and visits to local schools were leveraged to make students aware of and generate interest for the sport.

A major first was recorded during the trip, 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. Another first for the Grey Cup trophy was recorded during the Atlantis Submarines stop, where the VIP charter tour guests took in the unique underwater adventure that is Atlantis Submarines, with the Grey Cup Trophy by their side!

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.