Saint Lucia Set for International Golfing

Contact: Tesa St. Ange  

Thursday, June 14, 2001 - The marketing thrust for St. Lucia’s tourism industry will be boosted significantly when the 2^nd annual Air Jamaica Charity Celebrity Golf Tournament takes place here later this month. The June 28^th to July 1^st event is facilitated by the Multicultural Golf Association of America and hosted by the St. Lucia Golf and Country Club.

Director of Tourism, Hilary Modeste spoke at Tuesday’s launching of the tournament and welcomed it as part of the further development of the tourism industry.  He suggested that the St. Lucia Tourist Board recognises the potential of golf as well as other sporting events, such as the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, the Bill Fish Tournament and Motor Cross, in the promotion of the island as a top quality destination.

“This event provides us with another opportunity for us to grow St. Lucia, especially as golf is a major attraction and one of the fastest growing sporting activities in the world today. We recognise that with the installation of a new golf course in St. Lucia, there is the opportunity for us to target specific markets such as the conference and incentive market,” Modeste said. According to the Director of Tourism, the Board will promote St. Lucia as a golf destination through collaboration with international journalists and sales agents who will publicise the upcoming tournament.

Interest is being heightened in what will be not just a golf tournament but an entertainment and social activities package as well.  130 golfers are expected to tee off on the 18-hole Cap Estate course including thirty-five local golfers and celebrities from the international sporting and film industry.

This year, retired NBA basketball player Charles Smith of the New York Knicks will participate and conduct a basketball clinic at the Vigie Sports Complex on June 27^th. Other participants include former West Indies cricketers Sir Vivian Richards, Maurice Foster, and Jeffrey Dujon, Kevin Dobson (Knots Landing), Dennis Haskins (Saved by the Bell), Ron Harper (LA Lakers), Clifton Davis (AMEN), Kiki Vanderwait (coach of the Dallas Mavericks), Lee Elder (the first African American to play in the golf Masters) and Rudy Duran who taught Tiger Woods the game in his early years.

The event starts off with a pairing party at the Royal St. Lucian on June 28^th where the teams will be announced while play starts on June 29^th.  Local performances are expected at the gala dinner scheduled for June 29^th at the Hyatt Regency and the Caribbean buffet and awards presentation at the Golf Club on June 30^th. A kids “Drive, Pitch and Putt Competition” is scheduled for July 1^st.

Last year, the tournament raised EC$25, 000.  Fifteen thousand dollars was donated to the Sickle Cell Association for a bone marrow transplant and a further $10,000 was donated to enable the Old Police Station at Gros Islet to be transformed into a Youth Centre.    Proceeds from this year’s tournament will again be donated to the local leg of the United-States/Caribbean Youth Empowerment Charitable Foundation Inc. to address more social needs.

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