Promotional Activity to be Heightened for Carnival 2001

Contact: Tesa St. Ange

Wednesday, June 06, 2001 - The St. Lucia Tourist Board and the National Carnival Development Committee are working towards a more aggressive promotion campaign to increase international exposure for this year’s carnival.

At Sunday’s official launch of Carnival 2001 at the Marchand Grounds, Director of Tourism Hilary Modeste said the St. Lucia Tourist Board is committed to the development of a quality carnival product that will be used specifically as a marketing tool for the tourism industry. The ultimate aim is make St. Lucia’s carnival as much an international hit as the St. Lucia Jazz Festival. This will be accomplished in part through “sizzling summer days in St. Lucia”, a new marketing plan to promote the island regionally.

The promotion package targets Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Vincent, Grenada and the US Virgin Islands and allows visitors from these islands the opportunity to come to St. Lucia at discounted rates that include return airfare, airport transfers, hotel accommodation and a heritage tour and the option of a rental vehicle.

According to Director of the NCDC Gandolph St. Clair, with the increasing regional participation in St. Lucia’s carnival, the July 1-17 festivity is approaching an international perspective. The NCDC Director recently returned from a marketing tour of Martinique where discussions were held with ten travel agents, three radio stations, two television stations and eight bands that have all expressed interest in participating in St. Lucia’s carnival. Discussions are also being held with Dominica, Guadeloupe and St. Maarten.

Presently, a team of Tourist Board staff and hoteliers are in Martinique and Guadeloupe promoting carnival. The St. Lucia Tourist Board is also making arrangements to promote Mas Ste Lucie in London, Toronto and New York and to bring international and regional press to cover the July event, thereby guaranteeing the island exposure.

Also present at Sunday’s launch was Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Community Development, Culture, Local Government and Cooperatives, Honourable Jon Odlum. He indicated that government will continue to support carnival through a number of avenues, including emphasis on developing the community carnivals and establishing duty-free concessions on raw materials for costumes and musical instruments.

NCDC Chairman Linwall James has revealed that plans are in progress to stage an OECS soca monarch competition as part of activities this year.

The June 3 launch also included performances by calypsonians, Rapid Response from Trinidad and Tobago, the Future Lights from Soufriere, the Entrepot Secondary School Steel band, Piton Diamond Steel, the Laborie Anse Kawette Dance Troupe and the Les Enfant Dancers.  There were also appearances by some contestants for the National Beauty Pageant scheduled for June 30^th at the National Cultural Centre and displays of costumes and sketches by the nine carnival bands who will parade on July 17 and 18^th 2001. The theme for this year’s Carnival is “Together as One in 2001.”

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