Kingston’s hosting of its first IAAF/AIMS certified marathon on Sunday, March 17 is just another product that can serve as a great addition to its sport tourism product.
The marathon which is deemed appropriate in the wellness segment of the overall sport tourism product. Donovan White, Director of Tourism highlighted some of the global trends in his keynote address at the media launch of the Kingston City Marathon on Wednesday (January 16).
The Director made some key points:
· There were 830 million wellness trips in 2017, this was equivalent to 17 per cent of all tourism revenues
· Wellness tourism is set to grow 7.5 per cent through to 2022
· The estimated earnings from wellness travel is estimated to reach $919 billion by 2022
· There is an average spend of $1,528 per trip for a wellness tourist, this represents 53 per cent more than the average tourist
“Jamaica now hosts two marathons almost four months apart, this is a clear opportunity,” according to the Director.
The Director was quick to point out the already established products of Kingston – great music, food and other exciting sporting events will be enhanced by the Kingston City Marathon, which he suggested that “marathons are a huge draw for sport tourists and have the potential to generate millions of dollars for the host city of Kingston.”
Co-Chair, Nicola Madden-Greig, in highlighting the announcements for this year’s running explained the partnership with the Miami Marathon where winners from both events will be entered in each other’s events free of charge. “Jamaica will exhibit and participate at this year’s Miami Marathon as part of our global outreach to encourage patrons to enter the Jamaican event in Kingston.”
Registration is on the www.kingstoncityrun.com. Early bird registration ends on January 31.
