Louis Lewis, CEO of the SLTA, emphasised the festival’s importance as a key driver of the country’s orange economy.

“The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority has aligned itself with the Caribbean Music Awards, considering that our premium marketing tool, the Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival, is up for consideration for one of the events of the year in the Caribbean, as well as a number of artists who have been nominated in various categories. So we are looking forward to the announcement coming out of those awards that are due soon,” he said.

Lewis highlighted that the award would recognise not only the festival’s entertainment value but also its strategic contribution to promoting Saint Lucia as a destination.

“If we were to receive that award, it really would be a testament to the excellence that we have put into that festival for a number of years. But more than that, it's also an event that has a very close alignment with Saint Lucia that is put on as a marketing event,” he explained.

He further elaborated on how the festival benefits the island beyond music.

“The benefit of the festival to Saint Lucia is really the pairing that we do from a public relations media content perspective. We utilise the arts as a magnet to bring attention onto the destination, at the same time providing a platform for our artists, which is international, that allows the destination to get a lot of attention and invite and encourage and persuade and entice people to visit us at times during the rest of the year,” Lewis said.

The SLTA’s sponsorship of the Caribbean Music Awards underscores its commitment to strengthening Saint Lucia’s cultural and tourism profile globally, ensuring that the Jazz & Arts Festival continues to serve as both a showcase for local talent and a magnet for international visitors.