Lucian Carnival 2024: Tourism officials defend use of social media influencers

By  Toni Nicholas

Revelations that several social media influencers who were part of just-ended carnival celebrations benefited from all-expense paid trips courtesy of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA) and the St Lucia Government have sparked much debate.However, Tourism Minister Dr Ernest Hilare and other industry officials are defending the move, highlighting the big benefits to St Lucia.A social media influencer, usually referred to simply as an influencer, is someone with a significant following on social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, X, YouTube and Facebook.  Influencers use their status to target and connect with people, while monetizing their platforms.Korra Obidi, a Nigerian content creator, singer and dancer with more than 1.9 million followers on Instagram, was one of the influencers engaged by the SLTA this year. The others included American singer/actress Chloe Bailey, Trinidadian Soca performer Patrice Roberts, American actress Jessie Woo, Miss Jamaica World 2022 Shanique Singh and British actress Natalie Emmanuel of Game of Thrones. Emmanuel is of Saint Lucian and Dominican parentage.At a media briefing Wednesday, Public Relations Manager of the SLTA Geraine George said that efforts to continue marketing carnival in the global market place included using both traditional and non-traditional methods.“…we continue our partnership this year with celebrities, influencers as well as media to not only highlight carnival but the destination as a whole,” George said.On Thursday, Minister of Tourism Dr Ernest Hilaire said the use of influencers was not only paying off but remains a more cost-effective method of advertising.“There were days when you would travel to major countries and the way in which we would promote the destination would be through huge billboards, on television ads, even taking in inserts in newspapers costing tens of thousands of dollars and in some cases hundreds of thousands of dollars to do so.” Dr. Hilaire said.He noted that although marketing still encompasses some of the traditional methods, the added use of social media to the market was a lot cheaper.“If you compare the cost of a thirty-second advertisement on CNN, advertising the destination, or the cost of a billboard, to having an influencer who with a single post can reach hundreds of thousands of persons directly targeted to them…the use of influencers, the use of persons who the public would follow their post, follow their views, has proved to be highly effective. It has been very successful for us,” Dr. Hilaire said.The Minister for Tourism also debunked the criticism that local influencers were not being engaged.He pointed out that a Carnival Ambassadors program, launched in 2023 continued this year. Soca artistes Arthur Allain, Ezra D’Fun Machine, Cooyah, Shemmy J, Sedale, Ricky T and panist Chazz were among the ambassadors for 2024.However, Hilaire was quick to point out that the reach of local influencers may not be as high as that of their international counterparts.Social Media influencers normally fall into the categories of Nano, Micro and Macro and at the top; Celebrity influencers” with a following of 1,000000 and above.