THA scraps Jazz FestivalTourism

The highly anticipated annual Tobago Jazz Experience will not be making a return in 2024, as the Tobago House of Assembly has decided to scrap it due to its “unsustainability”.

However, the THA says it will support any jazz-related activities planned for April 2024.

The announcement was made yesterday by the Tobago Festivals Commission Limited, a year after Chief Secretary Farley Augustine raised concerns over the event’s future.

At that time, Augustine revealed the THA executive’s intention to consider a new approach, wherein private promoters would take on a larger role and become major investors in hosting the festival.

In its first release on the issue, the commission said, “This was in part due to the current model of the festival not being deemed as sustainable.”

In an updated release, it said the decision was due to various factors affecting its feasibility and sustainability.

“This decision, while not made lightly, aligns with our commitment to delivering high-quality cultural experiences that resonate with the evolving interests of our audience.”

Contacted for a comment on the decision, Minister of Tourism Randall Mitchell wished the commission all the best.

“The festival and tourism product in Tobago falls under the responsibility of the Division of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities, and Transportation. And if following their last edition in 2023, they now, in March 2024, deem the festival event to be unsustainable, I could only wish them the very best in reorganising the popular festival in the near future for the sake of the associated tourism stakeholders (accommodation providers, tour operators) who depend on those patrons visiting the island during the period.”

Meanwhile, news of the cancellation left one tourism association and its members disappointed.

Unique Bed and Breakfast and Self Catering Association president Kaye Trotman lamented the potential losses the industry will incur.

“It’s unfortunate that we had to come down to the wire of a major event like this to be told, on the eve of when it’s supposed to be happening, that it’s not going to happen. So the preparations and commitment of resources, it will be a challenge for them to now face after they have made investments. It would be to no avail,” Trotman said.

“It’s unfortunate we have to be doing things at last minute when it comes to this administration. The same thing happened with Carnival activities this year. Now for this to happen, it seems as though this administration doesn’t have a proper hold on the tourism sector on what needs to happen for it to flourish.”

The first jazz event on the island, the Plymouth Jazz Festival, was held in 2004. At the time, it cost CL Financial $30 million to host the festival. But it was dubbed the “third Biggest Event on Planet Earth” by Forbes 500 magazine that year. During that time, however, former tourism minister Joseph Ross announced that government was in discussion with a company and producers of the Plymouth Jazz Festival to take over lead sponsorship of the event.

The THA took ownership of the festival from CL Financial and renamed it the Tobago Jazz Experience in 2009 but it never returned profits on the THA’s expenditure.

Over the years, the event attracted thousands to the island for a featured line-up of several local and foreign artistes.

The last edition, labelled “The Return”, was hosted in 2023, post COVID-19, with a $12 million budget. It featured headline acts Boyz II Men, Koffee and Richie Spice.

But now, the THA feels a new direction is needed for the event’s future; a direction Tobago Business Chamber chairman Martin George agrees with.

To restore the festival to its former glory, George recommends reestablishing the festival’s quality and calibre. However, he felt the announcement should have been made earlier.

“This Tobago Jazz Festival had actually set the standard and the benchmark for Caribbean music festivals in the three years that it was run by private enterprise,” George said.

“The world of international music is so intertwined and interconnected. When playing in global markets, particularly for music, there’s a lot that you have to consider at all times.”

George said creating an international music festival of this magnitude needs careful planning, expertise and a commitment to excellence.

He added, “Rebrand it, reinvigorated it and revitalize it in private hands, let’s do it properly. Let’s ensure that whatever you come back with is superb and superior quality.”

He stressed the importance for the new organisers to strive for “superlative and superior quality” to regain the international recognition the event once had.

Attempts to reach Secretary for the Division of Tourism, Culture and Transportation Tashia Burris were unsuccessful. Burris is attending the ITB Berlin Convention in Germany with a team from the THA.

Head of the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association Alpha Lord also could not be reached for comment up to press time.