Leacock awaits report on economic benefits of jazz festival

George Leacock, Chairman of the Tobago Festivals’ Commission, said on Monday he was awaiting the Comprehensive Economic Impact Assessment of the Tobago Jazz festival over the past 10 years, from economist Dr Ralph Henry.

Leacock noted that Monday was the deadline for receipt of the report.

“Today (Monday) is actually the deadline date, we are expected to receive the Comprehensive Economic Impact Assessment sometime today. The date for submission is actually today,” he said in response to a query from Newsday Tobago.

“I don’t think that they just give you the assessment, I think they would have to come and make a presentation and explanation and then present the assessment,” he added.

On April 25, Leacock has announced at the post Executive Council media briefing that the Commission, in collaboration with the Tobago House of Assembly’s (THA) Division of Finance had agreed to engage Henrym chairman of the Trinidad-based Kairi Consultants to work on a comprehensive economic impact assessment on the festival.

He said then there was a need to know the economic impact of the festival for Tobago, that “members of the public do have the right to ask questions about the potential benefits of the festival.”

“We as a Festival Commission also need to know in real terms, not merely a statement, where hotels were full or hotels weren’t full or taxi drivers made money or vendors made money but in a real sense we want to know what the economic impact of having the festival is on Tobago,” he said.

He also explained that the model for data collection and reporting presented by Henry would gather information, including from field surveys, would have access to the spending of the Festival, mechanisms of delivery and would be comprehensive.

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