International cricket means international business, says Caribbean leader.

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley believes hosting the upcoming International Cricket Council T20 Men’s Cricket Finals at the redeveloped Kensington Oval will send a signal to the world that Barbados is open for business.

Ms Mottley made the claim on Friday as she appealed to Barbadians to show off their national pride and feel the excitement of the cricket tournament as the country prepares to welcome thousands of visitors to its shores.

She told reporters at Ilaro Court that Barbados was open for business and welcoming visitors. She stated that there is no better way to do this than by participating in a sport for which the country has achieved global excellence.

The Prime Minister reasoned that the cricket tournament provides an opportunity for Barbadians to showcase their best selves and sell goods and services so that visitors can take away a memento to share with their friends and say, ‘boy, that you should have done’. been there with me’.”

Ms Mottley further stated that the government created opportunities to generate economic activity by organizing multiple events. In this regard, the Prime Minister urged Barbadians “not to view these as isolated events” while calling on the private sector to step up their involvement.

She added: “And while I may not have seen enough participation and exploitation of this by elements in the private sector. The truth is that this is only the first event… What do you have after cricket is over? We are celebrating Crop Over’s 50th anniversary and whether we like it, Crop Over is now a hemispheric event that we have built over the last 50 years. When this (T20 World Cup) is over, we will have other conferences….

“We’re going into ‘We Gatherin’. There is no greater celebration than the celebration of who we are, one parish at a time… All of this is a build-up to ‘We Gatherin 2025’, which in fact takes place in the year of the 400th anniversary of people first landing in Barbados in the modern times, after the native Indians were no longer there…. Next year we will also be hosting CARIFESTA.”

The Prime Minister hinted at other major projects to revitalize Bridgetown and the surrounding area and the Oistins Bay Gardens.

Source: Barbados GIS