After hosting a number of successful sporting events, Ministry of Tourism officials are eagerly preparing for the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl to be held on December 24, 2014.
Popeyes Bahamas Bowl follows the successful showing of the HBCUX Classic, which was held on September 12-14 in New Providence at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium. In that game, Texas Southern University (TSU) was victorious over Central State University (CSU).
The game also brought a number of activities to the island including a celebrity golf match, a college fair and even an old school dance.
Earlier this year, The Bahamas hosted the IAAF World Relays at the Thomas A. Robinson Stadium, which also brought spectators from around the world.
District Manager in the Ministry of Tourism for Youth, Student and Educational Travel Angelika Cartwright said these types of events are needed in The Bahamas.
"By hosting these type of events, The Bahamas is diversifying its tourism product - giving the visitors more reasons to travel to our destination," she said.
"We're also boosting our competitive advantage within the region in showing the world that this small island country is capable of hosting world class events and we're more than just a vacation destination.
"The Bahamas has always been a tourism pioneer within the Caribbean and we want to perpetuate that status by finding creative ways to increase stopover visitors. We're hoping to stimulate mass travel as we continue to fulfill our mandate of stimulating the economy for the benefit of Bahamians. The great thing about the college football games is that they also provide a fun outing for Bahamians and you don't have to be a die-hard football fan to come out and have a good time with family and friends."
The Mid-American Conference (MAC) will provide a bowl-eligible team for the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl.
The MAC has 2014 tie-ins with Popeyes Bahamas, Boca Raton, Famous Idaho Potato, GoDaddy and Raycom Media Camellia Bowl, with a secondary tie-in with the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl (if Navy is not bowl-eligible or the Mountain West does not have enough eligible teams).
The participants for the 2014 Popeyes Bahamas Bowl will be announced Sunday, December 7.

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