Gospel Fest contributes to tourism and should not be overlooked

Gospel Fest continues to bring to the forefront the tremendous talent that the Vincentian people possess, and Michael Peters, Cultural Officer and member of the Gospel Fest Organizing Committee,{{more}} has called on the relevant authorities to promote the event in a more meaningful way.

Speaking at a press briefing on May 3, Peters gave an overview of the 10th edition of Gospel Fest which ended here recently.

“It had its triumphs and challenges,” he said, adding that a feature in this year’s event was the increase in participation and, more importantly, the inclusion of some new churches.

“Which says that the event continues to be very important in St Vincent and the Grenadines, but most importantly, we saw a level of importance to the tourism industry,” Peters continued.

A number of visitors came in for the event, Peters explained, including large contingents from Barbados, St Lucia and the British Virgin Islands.

He maintained that tourists in the 21st Century were looking far beyond sea, sand and sun, but were looking for experiences and therefore the Christian communities should not be overlooked.

Carnival and some of the other festivals do not allow for participation from members of the Christian community, for obvious reasons, Peters explained.

“Gospel Fest provides that,” he said.

Another major accomplishment according to Peters, was that the organizers have been able to establish some important connections and he said that they were now looking to include more regional collaborations.

“Overall, the festival going forward will continue to hold its own and continue to hold its place on the national calendar,” he said.

The festival was now in its tenth year, which was quite an achievement he said, adding that plans for the 2013 edition of Gospel Fest had already started with a review of this year’s festival. (DD)