KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange said that Jamaica’s culture and creative industries contributed at least an estimated five per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and generated between US$15 million and US$20 million in revenue each year.

Grange, who was contributing on the final day of the 2017/18 Sectoral Debate in Parliament a short while ago, noted that tourism is said to contribute seven per cent of GDP. She maintained that tourism’s main inputs are precisely culture and entertainment to include sport.Quoting figures for 2016 music and local entertainment events, which were provided by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Grange said 19,146 event permits were issued across the 14 parishes.That number, the minister explained, directly contributed $20.1 billion to the economy.“This 2016 figure represented a marginal decrease over 2015 that had direct contribution of $20.2 billion [and] lead to the creation of 8,388 temporary jobs”, Grange said.