The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Carnival band owners yesterday estimated there was a 40-60 per cent increase in foreign revellers at this year’s Road March parade, and said the event has become “one of the premier festivals in the region”.

Dario Tirelli, spokesman for the Bahamas Carnival Band Owners Associations (BCBOA) and a former president, told Tribune Business: “We had far more revellers than we had in the past. We are estimating a 40-60 percent increase in foreign revellers on the parade.

“Bed and breakfast businesses did great this past weekend. A lot of persons opted to go to bed and breakfast first. That’s the big trend now. Taxi drivers became brand ambassadors for us. They were promoting the festival as they picked up guests from the cruise terminal and the airport.

“We were able to pick up last-minute revellers from persons that got recommended to talk to some of the various bands. Even the concert was able to pick up more people that were in town but didn’t come for Carnival,” he added.

“Overall we feel economically this was a better parade income-wise for the bands. I did interviews along the parade route and the vendors did very well. There were some 600 persons came off the cruise ship for Carnival.”

Bahamas Carnival, now in its fifth year, and second as a privately-funded event, has become one of the premier festivals in the region, according to Mr Tirelli. Polantra Media Group (PMG), of which Island Luck chief executive Sebas Bastian is a principal, is now the main organiser.

“We don’t need anything from government financially. We need their support in police power and marketing internationally on the Ministry of Tourism’s marketing portal. We can’t have this big of a parade and we have to struggle to pay the police bill,” said Mr Tirelli.

“It’s a business but we need the government to get involved and we need more manpower. Definitely the year-round marketing and branding has it as one of the premier festivals in the region. The band owners have done well with their respective marketing and promotion.”