Sports tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world today, and according to Donovan White, director of tourism, mega sport events like the Mouttet Mile can be a catalyst for promoting tourism in Jamaica.

The Mouttet Mile, a Grade One race for three-year-olds and up over one mile (1,600m), has become Caymanas Park’s marquee event. The purse for the 2023 edition was US$150,000, which was the largest purse for a single racing event in the English-speaking Caribbean at the time.

Riding high on the spectacular success of the Mouttet Mile’s second running last December, organisers have revealed a US$250,000 purse for this year’s third staging — the largest ever yet again. This year’s staging of the Mouttet Mile will take place on December 7.

Highlighting the success achieved in just two years were the increased support from corporate Jamaica, a growing number of overseas entrants and jockeys, and the pivotal partnership between Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited and New York Racing Association to broadcast the Mouttet Mile live on FOX Sports.

White says that the Mouttet Mile is an excellent addition to a very high-profile sport and on the Jamaica racing calendar, as it has created a significant buzz in the worldwide market for investors in the sport, who are horse racing owners.

“This is the Sport of Kings, and to be able to add the Mouttet Mile to that event, to the Jamaica calendar, has proven to be a success,” White told the Jamaica Observer during the launch of the Mouttet Mile at the AC Hotel on Tuesday.

“We are hoping that with the purse expansion and the marketing expansion being done by both Caymanas Park and as well as SVREL, will be good look for Jamaica as a sporting destination but most importantly, is how we tie the element of tourism to that event and we are working on that.

“It gives us a high-class event on our sporting calendar and our event calendars and we can add to the marketing of the destinations and hopefully we can grow it from strength to strength to see more tourists coming into the island for the event,” White further said.

Despite some negative mentions related to horse safety and facilities, White recounts the success of the last year’s Mouttet Mile (invitational) which garnered significant media coverage and positive attention. He stressed the value of the media exposure generated by the Mouttet Mile last year for Jamaica, totality of over $90 million.

“The Mouttet Mile invitational 2023 generated some 685 earned media mentions across eight countries. From the launch in April to the event in December, there was 502 of these mentions from the week of the event,” he said. “What is important is the media value that Brand Jamaica exacted from these 685 media mentions was valued over $90 million.

“Ninety-eight per cent of the coverage received was either positive or neutral. Less than two per cent was perceived to be negative reporting, and these negative mentions were related to the potential injury of a horse in Mouttet Mile, as well as social media comments on the Caymanas Park facilities.

“Of the total, 233 of those mentions in Jamaica or emanated out of Jamaica, 177 out of the United States, 14 from Venezuela, 10 from Canada, five from Turks and Caicos, four from the United Kingdom, three from India, three from Chile, two from Denmark, two from Nicaragua, and one each from Japan, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and Brazil.”

White explained the strategic importance of hosting events like the Mouttet Mile, even if it primarily attract local participants, as it help promote Jamaica as a vacation destination in new markets. He expresses hope for the continued growth and success of such events in the future.

“And so, for us, the opportunity was about how we use the Jamaica brand to engulf an event that is in Jamaica that is not probably likely to bring yet, in our stage of infancy with the event, tourists to the event and to Kingston and to Portmore and to hotels. But, in the meantime, it gives us another opportunity to diversify our position in Jamaica.

“Most importantly, how we position in Jamaica in countries that are not necessarily huge tourism marketplaces for us. So, it gives us that added value in terms of opening doors and creating opportunities to see Jamaica as a vacation destination. So, with that, I wish for the event continued growth and expansion.”