Local Contact

Kerchelle Jn Charles

Marketing Manager

Digicel St. Lucia

1 758 721 9130

Email: Kerchelle.jncharles@digicelgroup.com

Contact:

Jerry George

PR Manager

Digicel Eastern Caribbean

Email: jerry.george@digicelgroup.com

Digicel Supports the Bigger, Better St. Lucia Jazz Festival 2009!

Castries, St. Lucia, February 10, 2009: Considered the best party in the Caribbean, the St. Lucia Jazz Festival was started in 1991 with the express purpose of being a platform to showcase St Lucia and secondly to give some impetus to flagging visitor arrivals in the slow month of May. It has now become a well established fixture on the BET on Jazz television network and in the hearts of fans all across the globe and will this year be sponsored by Digicel.

The 18^th edition of the St. Lucia Jazz Festival is scheduled to take place from 2nd – 10th May 2009 and now more than ever, the second reason for which the festival was created has become more important than ever.

With a world economic crisis taking grip, tourism arrivals in St. Lucia is suffering immensely. It is against this backdrop that the execution of the St Lucia Jazz festival has become a necessity.

But secondly, in a world with so much stress and bad news, many people need a place, an activity where they can escape from the pressures of world’s economic crisis and get a little opportunity to ‘feel good’ again.

It is with these reasons in mind that Digicel is committed to the strategic partnership established with the St. Lucia Tourist Board in 2008 in supporting the Festival in these hard economic times.

‘It takes great courage and determination by the St. Lucia Tourist Board in the midst of the gloom which exists to persist with this edition of the St. Lucia Jazz Festival,’ said Keigan Cox, Digicel’s country manager.

‘Some would say we should just give up,’ Cox said, ‘but the true entrepreneurial spirit knows that it is in times like these that the rewards could be the greatest. In light of this Digicel is committed to supporting the delivery of a world class festival in 2009.’

By extension, Digicel is encouraging the support of all the St Lucian artistes, events, performances and merchandise produced to celebrate the festival by all St Lucians and thereby helping to give some stimulus to the local economy while providing some personal relief from the pressures of life.

The Event brings together international as well as local musicians and not only features jazz music but also the smooth sounds of R&B. The event has attracted such artists as Herbie Hancock, Courtney Pine, Branford Marsalis, En Vogue, George Benson, Santana, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, The Isley Brothers, UB40, Mary J. Blige, Lauryn Hill, the late Luther Vandross, Smokey Robinson, American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino and Malcolm-Jamal Warner.

ENDS

About Digicel

Since its launch in 2001, Digicel has become the fastest growing mobile telecommunications operator in the Caribbean.  In three years Digicel has become renowned for competitive rates, unbeatable coverage, a wide variety of products and services and state-of-the-art handsets.

By offering innovative mobile services and community support, Digicel has become a leading brand in the Caribbean and has placed the region at the cutting edge of mobile communications. 

With the recent achievements of new licenses and acquisitions, Digicel now has operation in over 15 Caribbean countries, covering a total population of 14 million people. Incorporated in Bermuda and currently operating in Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, Curaçao, The Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Digicel looks forward to launching in Trinidad & Tobago and Haiti in the near future. The company also has licenses in St Martin, Guadeloupe, Martinique and St Barths.