Hard to measure economic impact of festival

Local statistician Benson Tyson says it remains difficult to measure the economic impact of the annual Emancipation Festival, as vendors and patrons are often unwilling to provide the necessary information.

Tyson explained that while the Central Statistics Office (CSO) is capable and prepared to assess the economic value of events like Festival 2025, such efforts require cooperation from the public.

“I’ve seen questionnaires that were sent out to taxi drivers, hoteliers and so on, but the responses are always a challenge. So, if persons want to understand the impact, they have to be willing to share some of the data,” Tyson said.

He added, “We’d have to do some planning and run a few surveys to collect data, but persons have to be willing. Perhaps we can do it when persons are signing up for the booths and so on, we could let them know we need to measure the economic impact and that they’d need to share information when that time comes.”

Tyson noted that both the government and private sector stakeholders are interested in seeing hard data that can guide future planning.

“Even the persons who invest privately, like taxi drivers and hoteliers, want to know that it makes sense. At the end of the day, the data will come together to help them plan for future festivals,” he explained.

There have been growing calls for the government to publish information showing the economic impact of publicly funded festivals and concerts.

Last year, Premier Dr. Natalio Wheatley said the CSO would measure the economic impact of the Virgin Islands Music Festival. However, no such data was released to the public.

Similarly, no information has been shared regarding the controversial Vybz Kartel concert, which faced strong public opposition due to the artiste’s previous murder conviction. When pressed by Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn, the Premier offered only anecdotal evidence to suggest the show had been a success.