The interactive resource maps data on persons, places and spaces engaged in cultural and creative activities.

The Cultural Development Foundation (CDF), yesterday launched Saint Lucia’s first online cultural map.

The Saint Lucia Cultural Map is an interactive resource that maps data on persons, places and spaces engaged in either cultural or creative activities across the island.

Minister in the Ministry of Equity, Social Justice, Empowerment, Youth Development, Sports, Culture and Local Government, Sen. Hon. Fortuna Belrose, advised the local media to create an enabling environment for creative industries.

“We must be the ones to push ourselves; we cannot depend on others,” she said. “The media has a critical role to play in promoting things local, in engaging in things local, in supporting things local, and in supporting our young people. So we will be making demands [on the media] to provide that support, and create an enabling environment for true and sustainable success.”

CDF Executive Director, Melchoir Henry, said the project has the capacity to transform the island’s tourism industry.

“This is an active attempt to put producers and consumers in touch with one another. It is very important. It is not inconceivable that as a result of this map, visitors to the island can begin to make requests of the hotel industry and the tourism industry indicating the sorts of things they would like to see.”

The Saint Lucia Cultural Map was designed with the interests of the cultural and creative industry policymakers and stakeholders in mind.