As discussion continues about making Carnival Monday and Tuesday public holidays in Saint Lucia, the business community is urging caution, pointing to operational challenges and the need to keep things balanced across different sectors.
Brain Louisy, the Executive Director of the St Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, said “the balance has been struck” and that businesses have generally adapted to the current arrangement.
The issue has come up again as some call for more recognition of Carnival as a national cultural event. However, Louisy said that while many businesses support and take part in Carnival, there are practical issues that cannot be ignored.
Even with this support, he warned that adding new public holidays for Carnival could put more pressure on businesses that need to keep running. “There are many challenges with having an additional national holiday as it relates to the number of businesses that continue to have to function,” he said. He pointed to the tourism sector, saying, “They have to function; they have to serve their customers and clientele.”
He said that people still need goods and services during the festive period, noting that the economy needs to keep running, even during big cultural events.
Louisy acknowledged that some businesses are already affected by Carnival activities, especially when route changes disrupt normal operations. “Certain businesses are significantly impacted, where they cannot transact business for the whole day,” he said, adding that in such cases, “they need to make adjustments”.
He believes that adapting, instead of adding more public holidays, is a more practical solution. “It is all really a perspective that we need to make the necessary adjustments, but do not unnecessarily impose significant additional charges and costs on businesses,” he said.
“The current status, we believe, works,” he continued, but there is still room for improvements at both national and company levels.
Louisy also spoke about the broader issue of public holidays in Saint Lucia, noting that the country already observes many of them. “We have quite a few holidays and reasons for the holidays vary… from religious to cultural,” he said, adding that society has generally managed to accommodate them.
Instead of debating whether to increase or reduce holidays, he suggested focusing on improving how they are managed. “We certainly do not believe that there is a really strong case for increasing the number of holidays as it stands,” he said.
“We do not have a perspective that reducing or increasing holidays is the answer. We need to adjust to make it more effective for… the society as a whole.”
Louisy said that businesses and individuals must take responsibility for adapting to changes caused by holidays and national events. He explained that businesses may need to rethink their operations during Carnival, such as changing opening hours or logistics.
He noted that adjustments may be different for each business, but stressed that being flexible is important.
