A call has been issued to the people of St. Kitts & Nevis and businesses in particular, to begin now, to equip themselves, to deliver the highest levels of service when the Federation opens its doors to host some of the Group Stage matches of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007.
The call was made by the Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee, for the ICC Cricket World Cup, Mr. Charles Wilkin QC. Mr. Wilkin said that all involved including government agencies, need to ensure that they are able to meet the challenges that will be presented, when the Federation participates as one of the nine host venues for the most historic sporting events ever to be staged in the Caribbean.
The LOC Chairman said that most visitors for the games will arrive in the Federation as their first destination, and we must ensure that their first and last experiences of the islands are good and positive.
Mr. Wilkin was at the time speaking at an LOC Planning Retreat on Saturday 29th July at the Frigate Bay Hotel, in St. Kitts. Wilkin said that too often the service providers at our ports regard themselves as barriers and this attitude must change. He said that though we have been talking about the need to change our attitudes and service levels for about two years since the country's bid to become one of the tournament hosts, he has not seen any noticeable improvements at our main airport.
Catering throughout the islands, said the LOC Chairman, is another area that needs urgent attention and improvement. Mr. Wilkin said that the LOC's experience at the new Warner Park Stadium showed that our service providers underestimated the volume of business for food and beverage during the recent hosting of the One Day International between West Indies and India.
~~Adz:Right~~He said that they lost out on revenue that could have been made if they were better positioned to cater to the needs of the thousands of spectators that flocked the newly opened stadium. The LOC Chairman said that we must get the message across that the volume of business for food and beverage throughout the islands during the ICC CWC 2007 could be up to ten times above the average. He said the demand will be even greater when compared to that at carnival time.
Mr. Wilkin said that the LOC, through its communications program and Visitor Experience Committee will be working hard to get the message out, but each national and resident can play a role by constantly sensitizing others throughout the islands.
There will also be a high demand for quality entertainment during the period of the Cricket World Cup, so promoters and concert organizers, restaurant owners, night club managers and cultural groups should begin to place immediate focus on what initiatives they could deliver to entertain the many visitors expected to journey to our shores.
St. Kitts & Nevis will play host to six Group Stage matches from 14-24 March, 2007 at the Warner Park Stadium, involving teams from Scotland, Netherlands, South Africa and defending champions Australia.
Editors note:
The official name of the tournament is the "ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007". The following versions of the Event name are also acceptable:
ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 (preferred use)
ICC Cricket World Cup
ICC CWC 2007 (in prose or paragraph context only)
CWC 2007 (in prose or paragraph context only)
