Study: Weak link between Junkanoo and tourism

Wed, Oct 22nd 2014, 10:16 AM

The results of a study just published in the International Journal of Bahamian Studies (IJBS) on the economic impact of Junkanoo show that the link between Junkanoo and tourism is weak and the expenses for Junkanoo currently outweigh the revenue.
The article, "The Economic Impact of Junkanoo in The Bahamas", was published in Volume 20(1) of the IJBS, The College of The Bahamas' online research journal.
In the article, Dr. Nicolette Bethel, associate professor in The College of The Bahamas School of Social Sciences, explains that the study was conducted between January 2009 and May 2013, and finds that an annual investment of about $18.5 million in Junkanoo outweighs any revenue from the festival, despite evidence that similar festivals around the Caribbean and the world generate revenues that outstrip the investments made.
"In The Bahamas, however, emphasis has traditionally been placed more on financing the Junkanoo parade than on earning revenue from it," Bethel says.
She says that, when considered within the field of research on events and festivals, it is clear from the study that "the economic potential of Junkanoo remains untapped".
"While recent survey data indicate that Bahamians consider Junkanoo to be 'very important' or 'essential' to Bahamian national identity, the festival still struggles to
attract the kind of investment that will generate the kinds of returns seen in festivals elsewhere," Bethel says.
Citing studies on festivals in the region, Bethel points out that while the investment in festivals must be significant in order for them to succeed, the return on investment (ROI) is high. The St. Lucia Jazz Festival has an ROI of 9.1:1. The Trinidad and Tobago Carnival's ROI is 7:1, and the ROI of Barbados' Crop Over Festival is 2.4:1 (compare with Edinburgh Arts Festival ROI of 11:1).
"In contrast to other Caribbean carnivals, however, Junkanoo organizers and practitioners have been slow to capitalize on the economic potential of the festival, and scholars have focused on the political and symbolic nature of the parade rather than the economic," she says.
"Despite considerable discussion and stillborn projects, none of the current government investment in Junkanoo seeks to build economic capacity for its practitioners. Prime Minister Perry Christie announced the incorporation in the 2013-2014 budget of the sum of $1 million to go towards the boosting of Bahamian cultural industries; but this money was earmarked to create a Bahamian Mardi Gras or Carnival, and was not focused specifically on Junkanoo."
Breaking down the potential revenue from attendance at the Junkanoo parades for Boxing Day 2009 and New Year's Day 2010, Bethel says the study determines that attendance would have generated approximately $325,000 for the 2009/2010 season. That figure amounts to two percent of the cost of mounting the parades.
As for the impact of tourism, the study highlights a survey of tourists done between February and April 2010. This study showed that although 35 percent of the 197 respondents had heard of Junkanoo, only nine percent of them had attended the parades. Other sources of revenue included concessions, support services and advertising.
Still, Bethel says the study demonstrates that Junkanoo generates employment and creates linkages among otherwise unrelated industries, in addition to spilling over into the wider economy (fabric stores, television stations and other individual vendors).
The study also suggests that the investment in Junkanoo largely fuels economic activity outside the Junkanoo community.
"What is more, the current structures in which Junkanoo operates suggest that Junkanoo is a means by which Bahamian currency leaves the country rather than a means of attracting foreign exchange, as almost all of its composite materials are imported," Bethel says.
Volume 20 of the IJBS is the seventh consecutively published edition of the research journal and the 2014 edition marks the fifth year that it has been peer reviewed. There are four original papers in Volume 20: two by scholars at The College of The Bahamas and two by researchers in the United States. The 20th edition also includes original research titled: "Invasion from the South: Social construction of the Haitian 'other' in The Bahamas" and "Identification of the microbial population found in water sources in and around San Salvador Island, Bahamas".
To read the International Journal of Bahamian Studies Volume 20 (1) visit: http://journals.sfu.ca/cob/index.php/files.

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