The cultural and creative industries are an area of the global economy in which the Caribbean region enjoys some comparative, if not competitive, advantage in production. This is an aspect of the new global economy that the region has participated in with relatively low levels of investment. There is also a window of opportunity for the region given the growth in the global cultural industries, the increasing commercialization of the arts in the burgeoning digital and knowledge economy, and the widening acceptance of alternative genres and world cultures. From this standpoint, investing in the cultural and creative industries provides worthwhile returns because it draws on the creativity of regional artists, cultural entrepreneurs, and communities, generates high value-added forms of employment, production, and exports, and aids in the competitiveness of the tourism and other sectors through market diversification, destination branding, and media value.
