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Eyes Wide Open: Festival Strategy in the Caribbean
Dr. Suzanne Burke [email protected]
The lure of developing festivals as a strategy for economic development is particularly attractive for Caribbean states. This is primarily due to the declining revenues from traditional sectors which has made it necessary to intensify e?orts at economic diversi?cation. for economic development. Over the past 20 years, they have re-invigorated old festivals and/or created completely new ones as part of a more sustainable development strategy. In some of the smaller islands, festivals have become the main platform for tourism because festival tourists stay longer, spend more money and are generally repeat visitors. Festivals are also bene?cial because they generate new markets, primarily among regional and diasporic tourists, who represent neglected segments in traditional tourism marketing strategies. Festivals are attractive too because they promote socio-cultural bene?ts such as diversity, creativity and cultural and human capital. They also create a sense of place while pulling people together. A cursory examination of festivals worldwide explains their economic potential. In North America alone, earnings from music fest