Amy Winehouse, Jazz and other stuff

It’s been a while since Meka Caribbean has updated you folks on the goings on in regional tourism and we do apologise. The last three months have indeed been very interesting so, to make up for our lack of activity on the blog, we’ve decided to give you a round up of what’s been happening in the world of Caribbean tourism, so you’ll be up to speed.

Jazz by any other name
The Plymouth Jazz Festival is no more. Held for the last four years in Tobago, the festival was cancelled back in February. Major sponsor CL Financial, facing financial difficulties, pulled out of the affair but organiser Anthony Maharaj cited the global economic downturn and an expected low turnout as the reason for the cancellation, Hoteliers in Tobago cried foul though, citing fully booked rooms for the jazz weekend as evidence that people were still interested in attending. In a move to save face, the Tobago House of Assembly has organised another jazz festival which will feature local and regional performers and will take place throughout the island. It’s still jazz but the question remains, can Tobago ever recover the popularity of the Plymouth Jazz festival?

St Lucia Jazz going strong
I would’ve given anything to be a fly on the wall at the St Lucia Tourism Board when the news of the cancellation of Tobago Jazz hit. Usually held a mere week or two before St Lucia’s famed jazz festival, the Tobago version has been St Lucia’s biggest competition, pulling away patrons from Trinidad, which has traditionally been St Lucia’s biggest regional market. Obviously capitalising on the void, the St Lucia tourist board has been running full-page ads in Trinidad newspapers for their festival, which features a slew of big names, including performers such as Patti Labelle, James Ingram, Angelique Kidjo, Chaka Khan, Jeffrey Osbourne and Michael McDonald. I guess Tobago’s loss will undoubtedly be St Lucia’s gain.

Star gazing
On the topic of St Lucia, that island has certainly been enjoying some international attention thanks to Amy Winehouse. The beleaguered British singer recently spent two months on the island to reportedly get her life back in order. From all reports she fell in love with St Lucia and its people and even plans to do some recording there. Winehouse will be the headliner at the upcoming Jazz festival and recent reports say she is heading eyeing a villa to buy on the island. The Turks and Caicos was in the news too when American actor Bruce Willis wed British model Emma Heming there. Willis owns a home on the exclusive Parrot Cay. Singer Mariah Carey was also spotted frolicking under the Caribbean in Barbados with her hubby Nick Cannon for her birthday. Queen Latifah spent her Christmas vacation in Tobago and although some items were reportedly stolen from her room, she had nothing but praises for the country when she appeared on Jay Leno’s show.