Many more tourists will be needed to make these investments viable

Dear Editor,

NCN showed a GINA produced programme of the president visiting Buddy’s hotel. I was indeed impressed with what I saw. Can anyone begin to imagine the final cost of Buddy’s hotel? It is no ordinary investment and the people who financed that project were either plain stark mad or given a guarantee that their investment will be a secure one. It will indeed take more than a casino to sustain its upkeep.

The hotel sector has invested mammoth sums to provide accommodation for the visitors and visiting teams and CWC officials. The government will be spending in excess of $160,000,000.00 to provide luxury vehicles to transport CWC officials. With the inclusion of casinos the East Bank area should be renamed Little Las Vegas.

Cricket, lovely cricket is a great game. We all welcome the fact that CWC 2007 is being hosted by the West Indies. The investment is staggering and it leaves to wonder if the investment is going to be recovered and if so, when and how.

Clear and present danger is lurking, white elephants are in their embryonic stages. A whole new approach will be needed by the tourism sector. At least ten times the amount of tourists that we are now having will be needed to sustain these new projects and they have to be dishing out mega bucks.

The stadium will now have to compete with the smaller venues for sporting events. We very well might end up seeing parties kept there.

I am trying to be optimistic, but my mindset is not allowing me. The world cup will come and go and tears will be shed, bitter tears to be exact. All because of cricket.

Yours faithfully,

K. Persaud