It is by now an open secret that tourism is the bedrock of economic activities on Virgin Gorda, and while it has long been mooted that the Virgin Gorda Festival helps to keep the Territory’s cultural landscape alive, there are economic spin-offs that remain quite unmeasured.

According to Chairman of the VG Festival Committee, Vanessa Rhymer, apart from the cultural benefits of the festival, businesses, hotels and resorts have over the years seen a boom in economic activity during the Easter weekend festivities.

“The event is getting larger in terms of the entertainment because we are bringing more foreign bands with the hope of encouraging local bands to come out and also attract more tourists. What this means is that we will be able to record greater economic gains from the event,” Rhymer stated.

She added that while many of the larger resorts benefit directly from the festival, small entrepreneurs also cash in from the boost of visitors.

“Estimates of the number of visitors to Festival tend to vary each year. But, what we have found is that the smaller businesses on the island benefit, especially those along the parade route because people often hang out at these locations,” said Rhymer.

She also noted that the event should not be seen as a major economic gain for the Festival Committee, but noted that financial audits are still being conducted for last year’s festival and as such was unable to provide information on the economic success for the Festival Committee.

“We are not looking for a large turn over from the event, but it gives you some leverage in terms of raising money and not depending on Government,” Rhymer stated. 

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