Senator Allen Chastanet: St. Lucia’s new Minister of Tourism

New Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Senator Allen Chastanet, described Carnival spin-offs as potentially greater than the world renowned St Lucia Jazz festival. "I would like to see our bands develop their own kaiso and calypso sound ... so we can export our own music," said Chastanet, who noted that there was real value to be found in creativity and intellectual property.

Chastanet, Air Jamaica's former Vice President of Marketing Sales, and who developed Coco Resorts in St Lucia, added that arts and crafts also need revitalising and Carnival provides a boost for them. "In creating masks, costumes, paintings around the Carnival season, arts and crafts are more beneficial and meaningful," said Chastanet, who said Carnival is more indigenous to St Lucia than jazz.

"There are not hundreds, but thousands of jazz festivals around the world, but there are only six to eight good Carnivals around the world," he noted. “There is much more opportunity for us to make a world statement in building our Carnival and getting major recognition for it to be a major draw to come to St Lucia."

Citing the success of the development of steel pan in St Lucia, Chastanet said with good venues, production and the support of St Lucians, it will be a major event for St Lucians at home and abroad.

"I want St Lucia to be the home of West Indians living abroad," added Chastanet, who said he will work as Minister and Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation to get the Caribbean to embrace their Diaspora.

“We have some programmes that we believe that are going to be a base for that happening, so that we are not dealing with the Diaspora on a one-event basis, but it’s 24-7, 365 days of the year,” said Chastanet, who estimates that they are 10 million West Indians living abroad.

“What’s great about them is that when they come down, they are culturally sensitive, they love the uniqueness of our destination, but more importantly, they love the pride that we have,” said Chastanet, who underscored that bolstering Carnival bolsters pride in the Caribbean’s heritage.

Now for Chastanet, it’s off to meetings with his Cabinet colleagues, cultural officers and the organisers of Carnival to talk about the link between Carnival and tourism, and to put in some serious work before the summer Carnival comes to town in the style he wants.