TOURISM OFFICIAL SAYS KINGSTON GETS HUGE ECONOMIC BOOST FROM BUJU BANTON’S CONCERT!

Buju Banton at the Long Walk to Freedom concert in Kingston. (Ryan Mattis photo)

The Ministry of Tourism is reporting that reggae superstar Buju Banton’s concert on the weekend was a huge economic boom for Jamaica, in particular the capital city, Kingston.

The 30,000 plus capacity National Stadium was sold out on Saturday night for the Long Walk to Freedom concert, which saw the involvement of many businesses to put on the show.

Delano Seiveright, Senior Strategist in the Ministry of Tourism, told RJR News however that  was not just the promoters and those directly involved with the concert who benefited, revealing that “there was an uptick in the number of visitors to the island, particularly to Kingston,” on the weekend.

As evidence of this, he said “all major hotels in Kingston were full, Airbnb accommodations were also pretty much taken up, as were guest houses across the city and other home sharing residences.”

Other small businesses, including taxi operators, benefited significantly, he added.

Mr. Seiveright the Ministry of Tourism expects to receive the visitor arrival figures for the weekend on Tuesday.

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Also commenting on the success of Saturday’s show, music industry veteran Clyde McKenzie said the Buju Banton concert should be an eye opener regarding the possibilities for revenue generation in the cultural sector.

Mr. McKenzie told RJR News that it was time for the sector’s revenue potential to be taken more seriously.

He added that he hoped the collaboration between the music industry and corporate brands, so evident  at the Buju Banton concert, will become a template for such events in the future.