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SRC releases survey results on Regional Audiovisual Sector This article presents the key findings of two (2) surveys conducted by the Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law, Policy and Services (SRC) at the CaribbeanTales Film Festival, Symposium and Marketplace which ran from February 24, to March 02, 2010. The surveys gathered information from participants from the audiovisual sector as well as the wider group of visitors that came to Barbados for the festival. The goal of the latter was to estimate the economic impact of the festival. The audiovisual producers survey aims, on the other hand, to give some perspective on the business operations of firms in this sector. Participant/Visitor Results Amongst the 27 respondents to the visitors survey at Caribbean Tales, 70% were female and the majority was between the ages of 34-41. The occupation of most respondents was audiovisual producers (42%) while others were film buyers/distributors and cultural managers/administrators. The other occupations represented at the festival were festival managers, film commissioners, music industry personnel, media, tourism, academic, and students among others. Approximately 90% of the visitors that participated in the festival travelled to Barbados specifically to attend the film festival. The extra-regional visitors were mainly from Canada (18%), US (15%), South Africa (7.4%) and the UK (4%). The bulk of visitors were from the Caribbean, namely Trinidad and Tobago (25%), Jamaica, the OECS and the French Caribbean all at 4%. Figure 2 depicts the country of residence for the participants of the survey. In terms of airlift, 29% of the participants travelled on Caribbean Airlines, 15% on American Airlines, 11% on LIAT and 7.4% on each of British Airways, Jet Blue, and Virgin. Over 50% of the visitors to the festival stayed at the Savannah Hotel and most visitors had an average stay of five (5) nights. Approximately 30% of the respondents’ daily expenditure was between US $ 25 – 40, 26% spent less than $25, while 22% spent between $40 - 60, excluding the cost of accommodation. When accommodation is factored in the average expenditure would fall between $175 to $210 making the total expenditure per person close to $1,000. The length of stay and the average expenditure for the festival compares favourably with the annual averages for the tourism sector. The results indicate a substantial economic impact for the hotel and airline industry relative to the number of visitors for the Caribbean Tales Film Festival. Volume 1 September - November 2010
Photos from The Best of CaribbeanTales Networking Event hosted by the Commonwealth Foundation
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