The Saint Lucia Tourist Board (SLTB) is giving its support to several local soca and Lucian Kuduro artists on a five-city tour of the United States.

The Board has sponsored the musical tour to the tune of EC$10,000. The seven-week tour, organized by Empire Media, brings the splendour and unique power of Saint Lucian music to the US market and the Saint Lucian diaspora. The cheque handover took place at a press briefing at the SLTB’s offices on Wednesday, Aug. 30.

The tour starts off with the Labour Day ‘Parkway Jam’ on Sep. 4, and ends with Miami Carnival on Oct. 8. The organizers have also planned a charity event at the Saint Lucia House in Brooklyn to demonstrate their solidarity with the Saint Lucian diaspora.

The SLTB affirmed its continued commitment to the support of cultural development and, Donna Compton-Charles, Marketing Manager at the SLTB said: “We are very excited to support this initiative as we believe in the importance of engaging our diaspora as we continue to develop this market.”

The Ministry of Culture has also supported the event and Deputy Permanent Secretary, Dawn French, emphasized the economic role and opportunities of the creative industries when she said: “We believe the creative industry can make a more meaningful contribution to the GDP and we look forward to its continued growth.”

Empire Media’s Shannon LeBourne lauded both entities for their support.

“We look forward to doing great things for Saint Lucia and proudly waving that Saint Lucian flag high as we showcase our culture and arts.”

Also present were soca artists, Lance Montoute (Mac 11) and Groovy Soca Monarch, Arthur Allain, who both expressed their gratitude for the support and their determination to secure a place for Saint Lucian music in the world market.