Jamaica is preparing to bid for matches during India and England’s 2027 tours of the Caribbean, with the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) making the case for hosting fixtures as an investment that could benefit both cricket and the country’s tourism sector.
The JCA is awaiting bidding documents from Cricket West Indies (CWI), which are expected within a month. JCA President Dr Donovan Bennett has already discussed the prospect with CWI officials and alerted the Jamaican government to the funding that would be required to compete for matches.
Jamaica prepares for CWI bidding process
Securing fixtures involving two of international cricket’s biggest visiting teams will require Jamaica to commit resources through CWI’s host selection process. Bennett has begun seeking the government’s attention before the bidding window opens.
Jamaica Cricket Association President Dr Donovan Bennett told Sports Grill on FAME 95 FM: “Whenever India and England come to the Caribbean, you have to bid for the games, and there’s a cost behind getting the games. I’ve already made the government aware that these two tours are coming and that money will have to be found to bid to get the games.”
India is scheduled to spend around a month in the Caribbean beginning next July, with its West Indies tour comprising two Tests, three ODIs and five T20Is. England will arrive later in the summer for a five-match T20I series.
No matches have yet been awarded to Jamaica. The JCA’s immediate focus is therefore on positioning the island to participate once CWI makes the necessary documents available.
India tour presents wider tourism opportunity
The JCA’s interest extends beyond staging international cricket. Bennett sees India’s visit as an opportunity to attract visitors from the large Indian community living along the eastern United States, using Jamaica’s accessibility from that market as part of the commercial case.
Bennett said: “There are three and a half million well-to-do Indians living on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, and they have not been coming to Jamaica in any significant numbers. It’s a three-hour flight from the Eastern Seaboard into Montego Bay. If the Government gets involved and it’s properly marketed, we can, in fact, have a financial windfall.”
India last toured the West Indies in 2023. The scale of its 2027 programme, spanning all three international formats, gives potential Caribbean hosts multiple fixtures for which to compete.
For Jamaica, Bennett’s proposal would connect any successful hosting bid with a broader effort to market the destination to overseas cricket followers rather than viewing the matches solely as sporting events.
England supporters strengthen commercial case
England’s tour presents a different tourism proposition. Bennett pointed to the travelling support traditionally accompanying the team, estimating that its Barmy Army following can number between 4,000 and 5,000 people and identifying that audience as another potential source of tourism income for Jamaica.
England most recently toured the Caribbean in 2024. Its next visit will consist exclusively of T20Is, with five matches scheduled against the West Indies.
The JCA’s interest in both touring teams therefore rests on two potential visitor markets: Indian cricket followers accessible from the eastern United States and the established travelling support associated with England.
JCA awaits next step from Cricket West Indies
The process now depends on CWI releasing the documents that will allow prospective hosts to make their cases for fixtures. Jamaica’s eventual allocation, if any, will depend on the outcome of that bidding process.
Bennett added: “as soon as the documents are out, I think we have to stake our claim to see what we can do and what we can get because this is a huge opportunity not just for cricket but also tourism”.
For now, the JCA has established its intention to pursue matches from both tours and begun engaging the relevant authorities over the financial requirements. The next step will come when CWI opens the bidding process and Jamaica can formally seek a place on the 2027 West Indies home schedule.
