Ministry of Tourism officials have revealed more details surrounding the upcoming inaugural Bahamas HBCUX Classic (BHC) college football game, welcoming it as the "Super Bowl of The Bahamas" and the next phase of the ministry's efforts to promote sports tourism in the country.
President and CEO of the Historically Black College and University Experience (HBCUX) Network Curtis Symonds joined Ministry of Tourism officials yesterday to promote the event, which Symonds believes offers a unique sports tourism product for the country.
Symonds hopes the event will help stimulate the local tourism industry during its traditional off-season, stating: "We're trying to drive more people from the U.S. over here during the months of September and October."
Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Tourism Harrison Thompson confirmed that the ministry had invested $500,000 into the project as part of a series of upcoming sports tourism events, including February's LPGA golf tournament and the 2015 IAAF summer relays.
Thompson, along with the ministry's senior marketing manager Jeff Rodgers and Director General Joy Jibrilu, expects a substantial return on the government's investment over the course of the ministry's current three-year deal with HBCUX.
Ohio's Central State University (CSU) will play against Texas Southern University (TSU) in the first BHC, which is scheduled for Saturday, September 13 in the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.
Several events, including a celebrity golf tournament and educational seminars for local students, are scheduled for September 12.
"We've created tremendous hype over the last two to three months. The buzz in the United States has been growing," said Symonds, confirming that ticket prices would start at $25 for general admission, with $50 and $100 VIP tickets; $15 student tickets are also available.
"Remember, this is the first year of a three-year deal right now, so it's going to take some time for us to build this, but I can tell you right now we are going to do a great job year after year after year."
The arrangement with the HBCUX presents an opportunity for educational networking between The Bahamas and historically black colleges and universities. TSU and CSU have each set aside three full four-year academic scholarships at their respective universities for Bahamian students.
The update comes one week after the government announced a $10 million motorsports complex in New Providence as yet another sports tourism attraction for The Bahamas.

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