Paradise Island, The Bahamas – Since its arrival
in 2011, following what resort officials describe as the highly
successful ‘dress rehearsal’ Battle At Atlantis, Battle 4 Atlantis has
grown in leaps and bounds. From the high caliber teams who
enthusiastically travel to The Bahamas to play the tournament to the
huge number of fans and local spectators who make it a point to take it
all in, cheering on their favourite teams and witnessing the fast-paced
court action up close and personal, to the amazing transformations of
the Imperial Ballroom to the Imperial Arena and, most notably, the
continued rise in room nights and business in what was traditionally
known as a slow period for local hospitality industry, B4A has
translated into total success! And it just keeps getting better!
Atlantis President & Managing Director George Markantonis recently
went on record to say that resort officials anticipate a 2014
Thanksgiving sell-out.
“Our ticket sales for all the games are
ahead of pace from last year by about 15 per cent. I didn’t think that
was possible, but they are… I think it’s going to be another excellent
Thanksgiving in November. The final is already completely sold out and
we’re going to run the same sold out occupancy as we did last year,” he
said.
Now in its fourth year, Battle 4 Atlantis has
rapidly established itself as one of the premier pre-season basketball
tournaments for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) teams
and the benefits from its successes year over year have not only
positively impacted Atlantis, but The Bahamas as a whole. The country
has gained a wealth of exposure through the aggressive marketing efforts
carried out throughout the United States by the Paradise Island resort,
as well as word of mouth from the teams, their entourages and fans and
the live coverage delivered by international media outlets in the past.
And with the ESPN, arguably the world’s leading sports medium, now
onboard, Markantonis said the result can only mean higher viewer numbers
which will hopefully translate into a further increase in business for
Atlantis and The Bahamas for the future.
“We knew we had a good
idea from the start and we were always optimistic about its success, but
Battle 4 Atlantis, in just four short years, has truly exceeded our
expectations and we are happy to note that it just keeps getting
better!”