New York Yankees Baseball Star Visits Bermuda

January 7, 2013

The Bermuda Department of Tourism recently hosted Curtis Granderson, all-star center fielder for the New York Yankees, on a three-day visit to experience the island.

Granderson’s first visit to Bermuda will be the focus of a feature story to run in the Opening Day issue of Yankees Magazine, the official publication of the New York Yankees. This visit was organized as part of the ongoing efforts by the Department of Tourism to utilize media and consumer influencers to increase exposure for the destination with potential visitors.

image003

“We are focused on creating opportunities for Bermuda to be featured as an ideal vacation destination in media that reaches a targeted audience,” said  Minister for Tourism Development and Transport Shawn Crockwell.

“The New York Yankees are arguably the most recognizable and influential brand in the world of professional sports and Mr. Granderson is an extremely popular member of the franchise. I had the pleasure of meeting him during his visit and he was thrilled to have the opportunity to experience Bermuda and learn that we offer so much more as a destination.”

Granderson’s tour included visits to the Town of St. George, Hamilton and the Royal Naval Dockyard, enabling him to sample the diversity of what the island has to offer. The Department of Tourism created opportunities for Granderson to get a sense of Bermuda’s culture and heritage by arranging visits to local shops, restaurants, galleries, visitor attractions, water sports, as well as, a boat cruise to see Bermuda’s unique architecture and experience the beauty of Bermuda from the water. Granderson even took in some of Bermuda’s nightlife on Front Street.

According to Minister Crockwell, the Department of Tourism will continue to target media influencers throughout 2013 in conjunction with the National Tourism Master Plan.

“Our goal is to help highly recognizable and influential people such as Mr. Granderson to discover what a fantastic destination we have here and to share those positive impressions with others, whether through the media or via their own network of influence,” said Minister Crockwell.

“It is all about building buzz and a positive momentum for our island and letting our natural beauty, incredible people and culture help tell the story.”

Read More About

Category: All, News, Sports

Comments (39)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. street wise says:

    This sounds like something the plp would do. Never heard of Mr Granderson… not sure if the typical Yankee fan is our target market.

    • Foxy says:

      clearly you are not street wise! New York is a the home a lot of winter vacationers, wealthy home owners and business executives. Most of them have a great affinity to NY baseball and are extremely loyal…You probably dont like this for other reasons…think deeply or maybe not so deep in your case.

      • street wise says:

        I don’t care who the guy is, I still maintain that this is a small-minded plp-style baseball promotion (confirmed). It would be okay IF it was part of a properly co-ordinated, total, Bermuda advertising campaign. As is, it’s a waste of money, just like the Red Sox promos were, and most of the other thoughtless off-the-wall plp tourism promotions… unaccountable with very little ROI.

        Continuing with these winky-dinky ‘one-of’ promotions will NOT help the Island rebuild it’s tourism market. It’s just a drop in the bucket. We need much more than that! And waiting 6 months for the new OBA Tourism Authority to set up is unacceptable. What are they going to be doing in the meantime?!

  2. Bullseye says:

    As a Yanks fan I know and like Granderson alot. Good choice.

    As a Bermudian who lived and worked in New York for a few years I can say that the fan base is enormous spanning all levels from sewage workers to CEO’s so this has panache.

  3. god1st says:

    I disagree with you. This is a move in the right direction.

  4. Malcolm Raynor says:

    Street wise you are not sports wise (lol). Curtis Granderson is the center fielder for the Yankees. Not a household name like Derek Jeter as NY picked him up only a couple of years ago from Detroit. However, he is an all-star and has been a valuable player for the Yankees. Not sure if the fans in the bleeding sections can afford to visit, but there are quite a few tickets at Yankees stadium that cost more than a plane ticket to Bermuda. Good publicity, but only if Granderson does not get traded in the off-season.

    Welcome to the island Curtis! I hope you hit another 40+ home runs next season and that the team be a bit more consistent in the play-offs.

  5. Dean says:

    “Street wise”…he is one of the best center-fielders’ in the game. He led the Yankees in “home runs” and “rbi’s” in the 2012 season. I am of the opinion that any positive press on Bermuda is always a good thing. If we can impress one well-known celebrity, there is sure to be an add-on ripple effect that can only be a positive thing for Bermuda. Furthermore, in these economic times we can ill-afford to turn our noses up to any potential tourism business.

  6. OBA all the Way says:

    We dont care what you think and we dont have to explain ourselves to people who look like you!

    Col D. Burch’s famous quote.

  7. Wayne Furbert says:

    It is good to see that Curtis came to Bermuda. It is part of a bigger advertisement packages and that we worked on. Since New York is our main hub, we saw a significant benefit working along with a new York media company to make this happen. The Yankee fan base will be good for tourist going forward.

    • Wayne thank’s for your comments,so we should all appreciate while the O.B.A are taking the credit it was your initatives that where put in place that made it happen.

      The same can be said for the Boston red sox,If anything you still have a lot to offer Bermuda so keep on the trail because God is not done with you yet.

    • Navin Johnson says:

      Who cares what you think other than yourself

  8. Hmmmmm says:

    This is funny. Let the rewrite of history begin. Firstly, unless Crock organized this on 20th December when he was appointed, this is not the OBA’s work. But this picture looks so familiar, but I can’t hear the haters…..if this was a PLP Minister in the frame, herewith the litany of blog posts we would’ve had by now:

    1. how much did this cost
    2. Isn’t Granderson someone in the PLP’s cousin?
    3. Too many celebrities.
    4. Another example of the PLP rubbing shoulders for their own purposes.
    5. How many free tickets did you get?
    6. What’s the AG doing there….shouldn’t he be fighting crime? (the fact that that’s not his responsibility being irrlevant of course)
    and the coup de gras:
    7. What does this do for tourism?

    But fret not, those questions will not be asked and this meaningless photo-op will be hailed as a “new day” eventhough it looks just like the old.

    • J says:

      It is amazing, isn’t it! How is it possible that the PLP can do no right while the OBA can do no wrong… while doing the exact same thing???

    • Ssc says:

      clearly this was organised months ago under the PLP administration and since they are no longer in power the OBA just continued the project.
      So yes maybe you should pose those questions to the PLP!!

      • Hmmmmm says:

        ahhhh sorry. wrong answer. If this was a bad idea and this kind of thing was a joke, then Crock has and had every right on day one to cancel it. So, one of two things is correct: either this kind of thing can work and should be tried (which means all the criticism of the PLP’s efforts on things like this was a crock – pun intended) OR Crock is in this for the glamour and carried on with the posing because that’s what this is about. You choose. All questions on costs now can be addressed c/o The OBA aka The Government.

        • 1minute says:

          Sometimes cancelling things cost the same as doing it. A lot of these events are prepaid months in advance.

    • RME says:

      I was thinking the exact same thing!! If Wayne Furbert had been in this photo (and he is the one that probably made it happen) Triangle Drifter and all of the other PLP haters would have been ALL over this. But now they love it. Oh the hypocrisy of it all.

  9. Limey says:

    Is that mark pettingill in the pic? Shouldn’t he be at the AG office doing some work, or am I mistaken?

    • Balanced Facts says:

      It was on a Sunday idiot…and bet he was in the office at some point!!!

  10. hmm says:

    Who’s the former inmate on the right holding the ball.

    • Ssc says:

      I was just waiting for this comment…smh…its 4 fingers pointing back at you!!

    • Joe says:

      The snow man.

    • Grow the hell up and leave Mr Crockwells past out of it,if anything we should be proud to see his accomplishments.

      I hate to come on and sound angry but it irratates the hell out of me when some small minded person can point out someones mistakes of the past,like they themselves have never done wrong.

      Mr Shawn Crockwell donr need me to defend him and he need not to defend himself because he has paid his debt to society and more then some former criminals.he has given back to his community and this Island as a whole in a very powerful and effective way and he continues to give of himself even more.

      So before you go swinging your axe,please be carefulf it dont slip out your hand and knock you in your ass.

      • M.P.Mountbatten JP says:

        He is not giving of himself for free . You , me , we are paying him handsomely . I shall call him Felonious Monk .

        • Come Correct says:

          LOL! You’re an a__ but your right. He may be contributing back but not for free and not for peanuts. I say give him a break but watch closely. We shouldn’t dwell in the past, remember it, but its 2013, thats where our focus should be and beyond.

      • What a joke says:

        Only in Bermuda can you become a drug dealer then a Minister making $$$$$. The OBA had better choices then Crockwell the devil. My friend got caught with a bag. Can’t travel keeps on trying to get off the stoplist, but this clown stole over half a mill of drugs got taken off the list and a fat paycheck. I need to sell my soul to the oba man.

        • careful with your comments as you dont have a clue to what you are talking about,the U.S.consulate can not remove Mr Crockwell off the list of those who find themselves inelligible,Mr Crockwell has to apply for a waiver just like any other former criminal.

          Once he is approved to travell,it is a waiver given to him for a short period which has to be renewed yearly,for the record of the unlearned,once you have been put on such a list that we call the stop list but such a list is not found.
          those who are deemed inelligible should not tha under U.S. law your name is placed there for a period of 99 years.

          now unless the law is changed once you are on the list nothing can remove you,even for those of us that have been given a rehibilation certificate by the Bermuda government saying we no longer have a criminal record.

          The real issue here is not the man’s past but the fact that we continue in this small spec of dust in the ocean to be crabs in a bucket.leave the man’s personal life both past and present out of it,unless he does something to warrant it.

      • DarkSideOfTheMoon says:

        Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it….

  11. DND says:

    When it was “Bermuda Night” at the Red Sox’s Fenway park, with Bermudian artists, Gombeys etc, it was a waste of time, but now suddenly we fly one baseball player in (during his and our off season) to take a tour of the island and its move in the right direction…..smh

  12. LaVerne Furbert says:

    Funny, you all chastised Dr. Brown when he started the initiative of going to baseball games to promote Bermuda, now it’s a good idea and we’re bringing baseball players to Bermuda and Shawn Crockwell shakes his hand and it’s a great idea!! Give me a break!

    • Fan of the Game says:

      There is a difference between having the Gombeys perform at “Bermuda Night” for one out of 82 home games a year in Boston or NY (keep in mind that the TV audience doesn’t see the multiple Bermuda themed pre-game events) and getting a quality article printed in the official magazine of one of the most recognizable sports teams in the world. So yes, this really is a great idea!

    • Balanced Facts says:

      Oh Laverne…the PLP train wreck is going to make you bleat bitter for a long time!

  13. Enforcer says:

    OBA/PLP all b*&^sh($#@!s

    • Foxy says:

      enforcer, you need to go up on your medication dosage

  14. v!nce says:

    Here’s an idea, for OBA supporters and PLP supporters:
    Let’s get over the past. Not forget it, but get past it.
    Moving forward, do you think this initiative has BERMUDA’S BEST INTEREST IN MIND?
    If so, it does not matter who is responsible for it happening, what matters is BERMUDA thriving and reaping the benefits from this.
    Why is it that we feel the need to congratulate politicians for doing what we put them in office to do?
    Their congratulations comes from us when they get re-elected.

  15. Concerned Traveller says:

    You are on the right track however you have to appeal to the greater sense of these savvy folks.. where is and what is the “So Much More”????

  16. Prayerful says:

    Does the short-stop have a work permit?

  17. DarkSideOfTheMoon says:

    Shouldn’t the tourism minister be out travelling to New York to try and promote Bermuda………… O yeah…forgot, he can’t fly there….

  18. bir says:

    BIG DEAL NOT INTERESTED IN HIM

    WHAT CAN HE DO FOR BERMUDA??????

    ABSOLUTELY NOTHING

    TELL HIM TO ENJOY BDA WHILE HE IS HERE