“It is not the strongest, who survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most adaptable to change.” Those words were spoken by Charles Darwin many years ago but are still applicable today especially when I think of Carnival.

The combination of Culture, Creativity and Enterprise equals the Creative (Orange) Economy. The Orange Economy is the sector whose goods and services are based on intellectual property both tangible and intangible. Therefore this includes anything that can be copy written as a result of your creativity and initiative. It is estimated to represent 6.1% of the GDP of the economy but often goes unaccounted. The Bahamas economy is 9-11 billion dollars with 50% coming from Tourism and 15% from Financial Services. This means that 549-671 million dollars could represent the Orange Economy and is currently almost dormant. Our GDP per capita is around $30,000 and would increase significantly if we were to harness the potential of this industry. The Orange Economy represents a new industrial revolution. We must create an environment for the production of intellectual capital.

Human resources represent the greatest resource of any country. Youth represents the greatest part of human resources. Usually this group is often undervalued socially and poorly rewarded economically. Globally, the Orange Economy contributes 16% to worldwide employment. In The Bahamas, unemployment is around 17% and among the youth it is around 30%. If we were to focus more on the Orange Economy we could totally wipe out unemployment. People who work in the Orange Economy are also more productive because they love what they do.

Tourism is the biggest industry in the world and the fastest growing section of tourism is festivals. The biggest festival is Carnival which is held in some form in over one hundred countries. Since we are big in tourism then it only makes sense to do a Carnival. We are the last out the gate therefore we have the advantage of doing something phenomenal. We have the infrastructure, the talents, the business acumen and the resources to make it one of the best. It is expected that there will be opposition initially. All great ideas are first violently oppose, compromised and then generally accepted. There will always be those with small island thinking who believe that everything that is done must be done only by locals with limited local talents and resources. The problem with that is we are living in a global village and have to meet worldwide standards or remain primitive.

Carnival is an international event designed to attract international people. Therefore, it is common to use international talents. It is not a lack of self esteem, patriotism or intelligence but good business sense. In order to grow the economy, we have to find ways to get tourist to come back again and again especially during the slow period. Trinidad spends close to 100 million dollars on Carnival and reaps a return of over a billion dollars. This happens with around 40-50,000 participants in one location.

We have the potential of having one the biggest and best Carnival in the world because of our tourism infrastructure. We have a bigger cruise port, more airline routes and better hotels. If we can get ten cruise ships to come here for our Carnival then that could be about 30,000 visitors alone. We also have many islands and could spread the events around. We must realize that Carnival is not just an event but an industry. It include music royalties, accommodations, airline, souvenirs, merchandise, auto rental, food and beverage, customs, live performances, audio-visual, security, advertising, sound, stage, lighting, event promotions and many more. Carnival is big business and is good for business.

According to Ayn Rand, you can ignore reality but you cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring reality. This is an exciting time to be alive, to be a Bahamian and to be living in The Bahamas. Among all the negativity there is hope for a better day. We have the opportunity to shape the future, grow the country and make history. 

Rudy Dean