- Kartel promotes St Vincent as perfect getaway
According to St. Vincent’s Minister of Tourism, Carlos James, the short ‘advertisement’ done by Vybz Kartel was not part of a formal government arrangement.
James told the Jamaica Star that Vybz Kartel was moved by the “great treatment” he received and that it was his way of expressing gratitude.
“This video speaks for itself. The man [Kartel] loves the place, and that’s all there is to it. I’m glad he loved his time here, and I’d like to invite other Jamaicans to come and visit; see what he’s talking about and enjoy it—get the experience as well,” James told THE STAR.
Approximately 206,700 tourists visited SVG between January and May of this year. There were 394,000 visitor arrivals in 2023. Jamaica received two million visitors from January to May this year.
Meanwhile, James stated that Vybz Kartel’s influence would result in a “inevitable increase” in anything the strong deejay is connected with.
“Naturally, as you notice, anything that is put out there from Kartel is doing well; he’s just a phenomenal person and an interesting study,” says James.
According to the tourist minister, the artist’s musical impact and influence on the ‘Vincy’ market is huge. “Kartel is a big deal globally, not just in St. Vincent [where] he is very popular among the youths.”
“Dancehall is an important element of our cultural environment, but Vincy Mas is what draws visitors here for festival tourism. Vincy is actually the home of ragga soca, so [dancehall] is a fusion of it, and Kartel is so diverse that even a lot of his rhythms are pretty much resonating within that soca genre,” James stated in a recent interview with The Star.
