Minister for Tourism and Creative Industries Dr. Ernest Hilaire has emphasized the need to elevate the Lucian Carnival product.
Major stakeholders have been urged to enhance their presentations and plan for more significant and better cultural displays to showcase the festivity’s authenticity and dynamism, and, in turn, promote the destination.
The 2024 Lucian Carnival prizegiving ceremony highlighted the vibrancy and ingenuity of this popular cultural art form, showcasing spectacular performances by artists, musicians, band leaders, and costume designers.
Tourism Minister Dr. Ernest Hilaire was impressed by the versatility and wide-ranging displays of the performers. Dr. Hilaire expressed admiration for the exceptional presentations, emphasizing that they reflect the capabilities and potential for producing and presenting the best of Saint Lucian arts and culture.
“It tells a story of what we are capable of achieving and how we can produce and present the best (of Saint Lucian) arts and culture,” Dr Hilaire told the audience at last Friday’s prizegiving event, held at the Sandals Grande.
The minister acknowledged the efforts of the creatives involved and highlighted the outstanding performances, noting that this year’s carnival in Saint Lucia was simply outstanding. Visitor arrival figures for July reflected significant growth, with 10,000 more travellers visiting compared to last July, surpassing the pre-Covid stats of 2019.
While celebrating the successes of this year’s carnival, Minister Hilaire emphasized the need for continuous improvement and planning for the following year. He stressed the importance of always advocating for carnival and its significance in representing the island’s identity, heritage, and culture.
The minister stated that while enjoying the successes for this year, “it could be better.” He added: “It is merely not enough to be satisfied with what we have achieved. We must always reflect on where we may not have excelled and for us to start planning for next year.”
Dr. Hilaire noted that while the pundits argue about the merits and demerits of carnival, it is imperative that the stakeholders continue “to always make case for carnival.”
He stated that carnival is much more than the colourful spectacle put on to woo visitors to the island: “it is about identity …our heritage, our culture and defining who we are…and what it means to us as a people.”
The atmosphere was filled with excitement as winners posed for photographs to conclude the enthralling event.