MUCH?IS?RIDING?ON?RIHANNA.
In the short term, a culminating enhancement of the Crop Over Festival this weekend; in the long, the making of “a cherished asset that we can use in our campaigns” by way of a personality documentary in tune with her coming Friday night show.
Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy has let it be known that the Rihanna LOUD concert will cost taxpayers over $4 million and that the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) will be operating the event at a loss – at best, at break-even or near break-even.
Sponsorship and tickets sales revenues have been projected to fall short of expenditure “a couple hundred thousand dollars”.
In terms of a business investment, it certainly is not ideal, but we can agree with the minister that there is likely to be a consequential macroeconomic benefit to the country as a whole. The spin-off should see a higher profiled Barbados internationally, particularly among the travelling younger set.
Mr Sealy did not miss to make boast that between that thousands of visitors had extended their usual Crop Over stay for the Rihanna show.
Of course, the assumption is that the visitors who stayed on continued in their regular patronizing of Crop Over events and that the LOUD show would be the bonus or addition. Rihanna may not have sucked the oxygen out of Crop Over as some critics argued she would.
Still, some visitors are here – and others will come – expressly for the LOUD event, and that speaks to the magnetic pull of Rihanna. If nothing more, the people coming to see the Bajan international superstar will now be exposed for the greater part to our Crop Over and may want to come back for the same next year, and the next.
Which brings us to a legitimate concern of Mr Sealy: the closing of hotels at this time of the year.
“I frankly think it is an abomination – the hotels that shut down during Crop Over, literally to refurbish,” the Minister of Tourism complained. Not at a time of such a major national festival, he lamented. Actually, Christmas apart, Crop Over is the biggest national occasion.
But hotels have to refurbish themselves at some time; refurbish they must, if they will keep to the high hotel plant standards we are known for internationally. It appears the Ministry of Tourism, the BTA and the Barbados Hotel &?Tourism Association need to powwow on a workable and reasonable timetable for refurbishment.
If Rihanna will swell our visitors numbers, we as the consummate hosts have to be readily available and fully accommodating – as Mr Sealy hopes for, all year round.
