Tourism officials defend sports sponsorship strategy

Tourism officials have defended a marketing strategy of sponsoring British sports teams amid concerns raised by a Compass investigation, which revealed Cayman was sponsoring an amateur field hockey team linked to one of its own directors.

Department of Tourism officials say they were unaware of any connection between its regional manager for UK and Europe, Adrian White, and the Old Cranleighan Hockey Club, which receives just over $10,000 a year from the Cayman Islands government.

The matter is now “under review”, according to a detailed response from the department to questions from the Compass. A spokesperson said it takes “the perception of conflict of interest, whether real or apparent”, seriously.

Despite those concerns, the Department of Tourism defended its strategy of spending more than half-a-million dollars to fund British sports teams, including amateur sides with almost no fan base, like the Old Cranleighan Hockey Club.

Over the past three years, the department has signed deals ranging from around $5,000 a year for the Weybridge Vandals amateur rugby club to a $150,000 sponsorship of a Porsche Sprint Challenge series race. It has also sponsored professional sports sides, including Premier League rugby side London Irish and Portsmouth Football Club, which plays in the third tier of English professional football.

Officials says these deals have delivered value for money for Cayman in key markets.

“Promoting the Cayman Islands to affluent audiences across the UK year-round for less than the cost of a single newspaper or magazine advertisement delivers significant value for money for the Cayman Islands,” it stated in response to the Compass.

“These partnerships have resulted in the Cayman Islands reaching hundreds of thousands of potential visitors and afforded the destination the opportunity to keep the Cayman Islands at the forefront of the consumer’s mind both on and off the field during the pandemic.”

From professional cricket and canoeing to road running and rugby sevens, a broad gamut of sports clubs receive cash from partnerships with the Department of Tourism.

The deals cover a period during which the Cayman Islands was effectively closed to tourists for more than 18 months and spectators were restricted from entering UK sports stadiums.

A Department of Tourism spokesperson told the Compass that the deals – some of which were signed prior to the pandemic – broadened Cayman’s exposure amid a key demographic and kept the island in people’s minds during the shutdown.

Targeted exposure

They said the expenditure was relatively small and provided targeted year-round exposure, focusing specifically on affluent potential tourists in and around London.

“The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism aims to build awareness of the Cayman Islands as a holiday destination through partnerships with, and sponsorship of, a number of British sports teams. The teams chosen are located in areas that have geographic and/or demographic relevance to the Cayman Islands,” the spokesperson stated.

“The partnerships were undertaken with the intent to meet our audience where their passions are and engage with them in an authentic and relevant manner.”

Though some of the teams have almost no fans or media presence, the DoT insists those sponsorships – typically for smaller amounts – still have value.

“The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism is supportive of sponsorships that not only allow us to build brand awareness, but also to support community involvement, particularly in affluent areas of the country where the audience demographic aligns with the Cayman Islands brand. The UK sports partnerships fulfil those mandates.”

Asked specifically about White’s involvement with the Old Cranleighan Hockey Club, where he appears on the team website described as a player and a coach of the juniors as well as a “catalyst” for the Cayman sponsorship, the spokesperson said this was not known at the time the agreement was signed and is now under review.

“We were unaware of any personal interest from any member of our CIDOT team in Old Cranleighans hockey club,” the response stated.

It added, “The CIDOT regards transparency and accountability in the workplace as being vitally important and we promote a culture of ownership at all levels within our organisation. When deficiencies are identified, action is swiftly taken to remedy the situation and prevent reoccurrence in the future.   

“The perception of conflict of interest – whether real or apparent – is also taken seriously by the CIDOT and the CIDOT will review this matter.”  

It goes on to say that all sponsorships are evaluated based on a set of established criteria, published on its site here.

Nonetheless, the spokesperson insisted some $30,000 allocated to the amateur sports club over three years was money well spent.

“The sponsorship of Old Cranleighans Hockey club is a commercial opportunity that delivers on the awareness, connection and value-for-money objectives,” it added.

Amplifying Cayman

The aim of such deals includes to “amplify Cayman as a Caribbean vacation destination” and influence travel decisions at a cost that fits within the department’s budget, the DoT stated.

Asked about the wisdom of such deals at a time when the island was largely closed to tourists during COVID and access to sports stadiums in the UK was restricted, the spokesperson stated, “It should be recognized that some of these partnerships were made prior to the pandemic, as far back as 2019, and were pivoted to support our brand awareness after the pandemic hit.”

It adds that the partnerships were a cost-effective way to maintain brand awareness and communicate information about reopening.