For six consecutive years, Stabroek Block operator ExxonMobil has been supporting the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) – the biggest party in sport – which has seen Guyana raking in big bucks just last year alone.
Exxon was also the exclusive sponsor for the Guyana Amazon Warriors.
Jamaica Tallawahs took the trophy and though Guyana did not make it to the finals, ExxonMobil Guyana President, Alistair Routledge, acknowledged their superb plays in winning four consecutive home games.
CPL returned in 2022, with Guyana being the first-time host of the exhilarating semi-final and final games.
According to the League, the total economic impact for Guyana last year was US$84,425,587 – a whopping 186% increase from the last hosting period in 2019.
The games were part of Guyana’s calender of activities for its first ever Cricket Carnival. The League noted that the vision of showcasing the country’s many creative and social attributes whilst making the country the entertainment capital of the region for two weeks in September, led to the most successful hosting of any CPL finals.
“Businesses across the country benefited from the significant uplift of in-bound tourism during September last year, as people travelled to be part of the biggest party in sport. The fans certainly did not disappoint with almost 50,000 attending the playoff games alone,” the League shared.
Its direct spend in Guyana increased by 236% since 2019 as all six teams, TV production crew and tournament staff travelled as one cohort, spending a total of 25,783 hotel room nights in Georgetown.
According to CPL, the report was generated by independent, world-renowned research company, YouGov Sport, with the make-up of the values including the total spent by Hero CPL to put on the 2022 event, the value of media exposure for the country from the broadcast of matches and the money spent with local business by those who travelled into Guyana for the tournament.
The League reported that the total viewership for the 2022 games also smashed all records as it increased to 721.8 million. This is the third successive year that the tournament has generated a viewership figure of more than half a billion.
“The reception for the Hero CPL in Guyana last year exceeded anything we have seen before, and we are hugely grateful for the vision of President Irfaan Ali, who masterminded the Cricket Carnival concept and showed how cricket can deliver significant economic value when planned alongside other entertainment initiatives,” Pete Russell, Hero CPL’s CEO. “We are so grateful for the amazing support we continue to receive in Guyana and are thankful that we have been able to repay the country with these fantastic numbers. We cannot wait to make an even bigger impact in 2023.”
