Tourism officials said that the historical HBCUX Classic football game held at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium on Saturday represented a win for the country and said the ministry was able to pull off the two-day event without a hitch.

General Manager for Sports Tourism Virginia Kelly said Saturday night’s football game, tail gate party and marching band competition drew in hundreds of locals and visitors to witness the event that was for the first time held outside of the United States since the 1970’s.

The game saw the Central State University Marauders out of Ohio go head to head with the Texas Southern University Tigers, but while the Tigers would take home the win, Mrs. Kelly said this country also walked away victorious.

“It was a success,” she said. “Bahamians turned out to see the awesome job that the two teams put on. “This was just great exposure for The Bahamas; we see junkanoo on display, we brought together two historically black colleges in a game that actually counts towards their standing and that helps us as well, plus we’re taking The Bahamas almost to a new generation of visitors as we go to the college level.”

Mrs. Kelly said the weekend of events was a big deal for the ministry and if all goes as planned, it would be just the first of many more to come.

“The entire Ministry of Tourism was mobilised as well as other government leaders who helped up with the event,” she said. “This was almost a countrywide affair.

“This is a victory because we actually got The Bahamas in the face of a whole new audience. We’ve brought our culture to them, they’ve brought their culture to us and it has been just great.”