BARBUDA'S FIRST CARIBANA - Antigua & Barbuda

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Antigua’s celebration of 50 Years of Carnival should be seen as a major milestone in the country’s social, cultural and economic development and the festival has emerged as one of the most colorful and wellknown summer events on the Caribbean entertainment calendar. Although little analysis has been conducted to determine true ROI from this festival and the economic gains that have been generated over the years, the value of the festival in terms of enhancing our cultural heritage, and strengthening the cultural identity of the destination is well recognized. As we embark on the next 50 years, an abundance of cultural assets have emerged with the development of Carnival in terms of craftsmen, musicians, performers and unique entrepreneurial opportunities. The Caribbean’s most colorful summer festival has the potential to increase economic activity and heighten the level of development that can be garnered from tourism activity Estimates indicate that Antigua’s Carnival attracts over fifteen thousand visitors primarily from the Caribbean region. However, in the past 5 years the increase in arrivals from the United States has grown steadily and last year, visitor arrivals in July and August grew quite handsomely. By: Derede Samuel-Whitlock - Antigua and Barbuda’s Director General of Tourism in New York Studies show that a growing number of visitors in the US have become “special interest” travelers and rank the arts, heritage and/or other cultural activities as one of the top five reasons for traveling. Some 35% or 35.3 million adults indicate that a specific arts, cultural or heritage event or activity had influenced their choice of destination. In fact, many travelers will extend their stay because of an arts, cultural or heritage event or activity. As destinations struggle to differentiate their tourism products, there are tremendous opportunities for Antigua and Barbuda to integrate Carnival as a core and unique part of our tourism product for both visitors and cultural export. Trinidad and Tobago, the city of Chicago and Bangalore, India have found effective ways to expand their tourism products by integrating other art forms such as visual, performing and culinary arts to develop sound cultural offerings that have emerged as lucrative sectors in their economies. According to one Trinidadian commentator “The carnival arts have emerged to be the lynchpin of the cultural industries, which is one of the top foreign exchange earning sectors in the Trinidad and Tobago economy.” With the recent merger of the Ministry of Tourism and Carnival under the same umbrella, this is the opportune time to develop a symbiotic relationship that will increase the economic impact that Carnival can have on the tourism and entertainment industries as well as the wider economy. A comprehensive evaluation of the direct economic contribution of the Carnival’s foreign exchange earnings and export of goods and services is mandatory as a starting point. Minister Lovell has discussed the development of a Festivals Committee that will manage our three main festivals, Carnival, Sailing Week and Independence Homecoming. A core component of this team should be product development and the identification of cooperative promotional opportunities to jointly market Carnival as a part of our Tourism product. However, attempts to market the Carnival and, in a larger sense, the destination, will require many modifications in the Carnival product and this will have to be done in a manner that balances the authenticity of the festival against potential commercialism of it. One example of product enhancement that would better support Tourism would be to shift some of the Carnival activity away from its customary setting in St. John’s, the capital, to some of the villages and historical areas such as Nelson’s Dockyard and Shirley Heights. If entertainment centers are spread out through the island it will not only serve to highlight the adventure side of the destination, but also broaden the entertainment offerings to cultural visitors. This would serve to lengthen the yachting season, and the overall tourist season could be extended to the end of July. In St. Lucia, Carnival cruises around the Soufriere have grown in popularity and have become a big selling point of St. Lucia’s Carnival. continued on p44 come celebrate our golden jubilee
continued from p43 the island either on a daytime circumnavigation tour or a moonlit party cruise. Another attraction of St. Lucia’s Carnival is “Mas on the Square” an exciting event on the Tourism Calendar of Events where Carnival performances are staged at key tourist centers. This is a prime example of how culture can be packaged effectively with the tourism product. How about “Mas at the Botanical Gardens” where visitors can experience Antigua’s beautiful gardens and unique cultural enclaves during the festivities? From special events to customized activities, visitors would be able to celebrate Antigua’s Carnival and experience the destination’s cultural offerings at prominent historical sights, attractions and cultural events. Antigua’s Carnival could play a key role in cultural-inspired events Mas Music F a n t a s y 44 Visitors look forward to touring that offer an eclectic mixture of the culinary, visual, performing and literary arts. There are opportunities to launch an interactive island wide initiative that would invite visitors to engage in activities including poetry slams, impromptu performances, music concerts, unique dining experiences, adventure tours and cultural exhibitions and workshops where they could learn the art of building carnival costumes, or learn to play the steel pan. Other examples that we may want to consider, would be guided walking tours of the Produce and Craft Markets and Heritage Square that would allow visitors to venture into the local stores and craft shops to enjoy local produce, or purchase local arts and craft during the Carnival celebrations. Carnival is a business, and it must be given the same attention that a business needs in order to be successful. We need to develop a business plan for Carnival - short, mid and longer term plans that are in sync with the Tourism Master Plan and Destination Promotions. Hotels, restaurants and other key industry stakeholders should be provided with incentives to embrace Carnival as one of the major festivals on our Calendar of Events. Public festivals such as Carnival provide not only the occasion to make statements about national identity but also offer opportunities to harness our culture in an enterprising way that facilitates foreign exchange generation through visitor arrivals or cultural export. As Antigua’s Carnival embarks on another 50 years of growth and development, it should be viewed as both a commodity and a source of national pride. It is hoped that the festival will continue to develop as a vehicle for tourism development, but as stakeholders, government and citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, we must recognize that a successful Carnival/ Tourism program will require stronger collaboration, continuous product assessment and research, marketing and attention to the visitor experience.
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BARBUDA'S FIRST CARIBANA - Antigua & Barbuda

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