BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE St. Kitts Music Festival does not make money, according to Tourism Minister the Hon. Lindsay Grant, but the economic spinoffs are well worth the effort.
Production Chairman for the St. Kitts Music Festival Adrian Lam indicated during a recent Music Festival press conference that when the Festival franchise was first established in the 1990s, it was with the intention of exposing the Federation to the rest of the world, to attract visitors to the Federation and thereby stimulate economic activity and to assist local artistes in gaining regional and international exposure.
Minister Grant echoed his sentiments, adding that from a tourism standpoint the Festival was geared towards putting “heads in the beds” during the period when the tourism season was at its slow point.
And while there are many economic benefits that are being experienced because of the Festival, Grant explained that it does not make money.
“I would say in terms of money, the St. Kitts Music Festival does not make money in the sense that we can’t produce a set of accounts to say we made $200,000 this year. We are not going to get that. So if people are expecting the MF to make money in terms of direct cash, it’s not happening.
“But I must say that the economic impact on the country during those three, four days is tremendous. And so, indirectly, the country and the people in the country gain as a result of the Festival.”
Each time the Festival is held, journalists from across the region and the world travel to St. Kitts to capture the atmosphere and translate it into their articles and other pieces which they produce.
Grant said the advertising that the island receives via this medium is another benefit which could not be paid for.
Music Festival Chairman Faron Lawrence also spoke to the viability of the Festival and explained that the costs to contract artistes, the need for more sponsorship dollars and economies of scale are some of the factors that contribute to the St. Kitts Music Festival not making a profit.
He however said the benefits which are derived from the event include taxes collect from goods and services sold to visitors to our shores.
When the St. Kitts Music Festival was first instituted, patrons were charged $60 per night and now, 20 years later, the tickets cost $100 per night.
