CDC welcomes private promoters

When visitors come to St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) for Vincy Mas, the Carnival Development Corporation (CDC) cannot provide all the entertainment that is needed so the CDC is happy when private promoters do their part.

Annually, the CDC holds between 10 and 12 events during Vincy Mas, and Chairman Ricardo Adams says this number is insufficient as when visitors come, they want to go to events “morning, noon and night.”

“The rural carnivals will put on events, the components will put on events, but there are still spaces in between that we need to be able to fill so that the persons that come from outside have an experience where at any point day or night they can turn and find something to do,” said Adams.

Over the years, some persons have expressed concern about private events during Carnival, claiming that they clash with national events, but Adams said we need to embrace the fact that there will be boat rides, beach picnics and private parties.

“At the end of it, what you don’t want is for somebody to come off the plane on a Monday or Tuesday night and say, ‘what’s happening tonight?’ and people say ‘there is nothing really tonight so go to your bedroom and sleep.’ We have to embrace the fact that other people are helping us because what we are trying to do is grow Vincy Mas for St Vincent and the Grenadines not for the CDC.”

Adams said that we must understand at the end of carnival, SVG benefits and the people benefit.

“We as a country make money out of the festival. If we as a country get to expose our culture to the world, if we as a country drive our tourism product to another level, that to me is what is important, not if the CDC had an event that was financially successful,” said Adams.