As the countdown for the 2024 Lucian Carnival Season continues, Hilaire justifies the importance placed on these events by the government.

For Hilaire, Saint Lucia greatly benefits from the foreign exchange during the season. Boasting some of the highest tourist arrivals during the summertime, Saint Lucia’s tourism-dependent economy booms during these months.

“And if you measure the spend per day by all the visitors we get in, you start to see at the local level the impact it has on the economy. The various sectors - the cosmetologists, the persons doing nails, the dressers, the seamstresses, and you go down the line and you see all the sectors,” the Minister said during a Carnival 2024 media briefing.

A crucial part of Saint Lucia’s carnival is its National Calendar of Events, which includes both private and national activities. The inclusion of both private and national events was part of the restructuring efforts of Lucian Carnival.

Hilaire notes that other islands in the Caribbean have followed the same suit.

“In fact, I've noticed some of [the islands] are producing the calendars with all their official activities and private events and whatnot, but that was something distinct about Saint Lucia.”

Hilaire explains that a two-week window was placed between national and private events. This, he says, was part of the government’s restructuring efforts for Carnival.

“There were so many private events competing with the national events that the national events were suffering. And of course, we tried to restructure it so that would not happen anymore.”