Published 29 November 2018
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
โYou will not see everything in dollar terms, so you need a study to tell you how it is impacting people coming into the country; the revenue that government gains, andโฆthe economic activity all around,โ stated Minister Hamilton while delivering remarks on behalf of the Minister of Culture, the Honourable Shawn Richards.
He added that with โyearly budgets and financial reports being prepared, the Government has a clearer picture of what Carnival costs and the many benefits that can be garnered from what we do.โ Minister Hamilton added that the financial statements for Sugar Mas 44 have already been completed and the Sugar Mas Report for the 45thย edition of Carnival is currently in the preparation process. He said it is expected that the financial report of Sugar Mas 46 will be ready by March 2019.
Just last month (October), on an edition of โWorking for Youโ, Noah Mills, Chairman of the St. Kitts-Nevis National Carnival Committee said that embarking on such a study would be very significant and added that one would be done in 2018.
Mr. Mills addressed some of the areas that can be covered in the study.
โSo one can expect them (UWI) to come and have interviewsโฆ with the media houses. The media houses will give you a perfect record to say, โWell, is advertising increasing around Carnival time?โ They can interview the operators of stores to say whether or not sales go up around Carnival,โ he stated, adding that they can also study the impact on hotels, airlines and cruise liners, taxiย and bus drivers to name a few.
St. Kitts and Nevisโ National Carnival, dubbed Sugar Mas, is the largest cultural celebration in the Federation. The 2018-2019 Carnival Seasonย runs from November 23, 2018 to January 05, 2019, and the festivities feature a number of pageants;ย Junior and Senior Calypso Competitions; a Soca Monarch, and fรชtes and street celebrations, with Jโouvert on Boxing Day (December 26) and Grand Carnival Parade on New Yearโs Day (January 01).
