The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

CARNIVAL FESTIVAL 2016... was it a total waste of $10m? Are the decision-makers delusional as to the merits of the event?

We all recognise if there was Junkanoo 365 days in a year some of the devout aficionados would be out there every evening at every parade junkanoo is a natural expression but should such large sums of Treasury scarce money be thrown into the event, one event $10m, when clearly the majority attending are residents and very clearly the event is a designer political event?

When reports use percentages rather than numbers this worries me - I ask why are they using percentages?

In the report, a 65 per cent increase in visitors to Grand Bahama has to be explained what percentage were Nassau-residents participating in the parade visiting Freeport - people visiting to watch the parade?

Was there a natural increase owing to the fact that a hotel property was closed the previous year and now open? 65 per cent is a very large increase... Mr Chairman you need to explain.

Let’s not be totally stupid if you spend $10m you expect a related impact on the GDP and the take home of the participants and the costume producers.

Visitors coming for the Festival or participating off Cruise Ships in the harbour - more detail Mr Chairman - you see eyes and news video don’t lie there were infrequent non-black faces on Arawak Cay, sir.

For the Chairman to say on the News that the hotels were filled to capacity I regret he has to prove that - at the time of the event, the hosting resort - Atlantis was offering 50 per cent off room costs + $250.00 support to ones airfare and $250.00 spending coupon for within the resort!

The only thing left was to give the room FREE!

The current political directorate will continue to financially support this event for their own political reasonings, but from a business point of view carnival Festival should be cut immediately.

Mr Chair - confirm to us that Carnival Festival is a Festival designed primarily for Bahamians - for the deliberate fudging of unemployment statistics for the period running up to the event as it has a small, very small component to attract visitors? Are we not simply spinning our own dollars in a circle and not earning a dime of foreign currency?

Don’t get me wrong, the expression - the costumes are incredible but they don’t put bread on the table.

W SMITH

Nassau,

September 27, 2016.