Above: the Oracle Team USA boat (Oracle Team USA/Giulia Caponnetto)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Bermuda is making a big push to host the 2017 America’s Cup, and is one of just two host sites still in the running, along with San Diego, Calif.

The next America’s Cup will be the 35th edition of the sailing race, which will be defended by Oracle Team USA.

Traditionally, the winning team chooses a host city in its home country.

Holding the cup in Bermuda would represent the first time a US winner defended its trophy outside of the United States.

Bermuda Premier Michael Dunkley said that if Bermuda were selected to host the event it would be a “spectacular, milestone event for our Island.”

He said it would give Bermuda “unprecedented international exposure and we also anticipate that the economic benefits from hosting this event would provide a substantial and very welcome boost,” pointing to what he said were “multimillion-dollar figures in terms of revenue generated by the event” in other countries.

“For Bermuda, it would certainly mean an acceleration of development and investment in several industry areas on the Island,” he said last month to Parliament. “It would mean an increased demand for transportation, accommodation, retail and hospitality services.”