Minister of Tourism wants music festival for St Vincent
Minister of Tourism Carlos James wants St. Vincent and the Grenadines to have its own music festival in the near future, and he has also urged the financial services sector, particularly those in loan departments, to take persons in the creative industry with solid business plans seriously.
Speaking at the Carnival Development Corporation (CDC)’s prize-giving ceremony last week, James stated that as SVG’s hotel room supply grows, the landscape of the nation’s cultural sector must shift.
“We’re going to have a lot more rooms and a lot more airlines coming, bringing more people to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the landscape of our cultural sector has to change, not just for visitors but also for locals, for our artisans and creatives to express themselves and earn money from this creative economy.” So I’m looking for a music festival in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”
In terms of creatives earning more money, James urged the financial services sector, particularly those involved in loan departments, to take those in the creative industry with solid business plans seriously, stating that there are significant opportunities for people to earn a living within the creative industry.
“I want the business community, the financial services sector, and loan officers to take creatives seriously when they come to you with a developed business plan.” Allow them to invest in themselves and their product because “this part and component of our civilization are important so that we as a Vincentian people remain grounded and holistically balanced,” he said.
As Minister of Culture, James stated that he will continue to work to guarantee that there are channels and chances for creatives to benefit tremendously, adding that this will be wedded with the tourism offering.
