 Coming to you from our GIS Studios, I am Anithya Antwan and this is your Midday News Brief. The Sarshan Ceremony of the National Carnival Queen to Pageant Contestants evoked great expectations from the contestants as they left attendees impressed with their showcase. Its young ladies will write for the title of Carnival Queen 2019. Speaking at the ceremony, Ministering the Ministry of Tourism, Information and Broadcasting, Culture and Creative Industries with Responsibility for Culture and Creative Industries, Fortuna Bell Rose, called for the support of the young ladies adding that there needed to be more synergy between similar events. The ladies hailed from the island over representing districts like Souffre, Labry, Dennery, Castries and Grosjele. The Sarshan Ceremony was held on Saturday 18th May 2019. The pageant is scheduled for the 29th of June 2019. With the Caribbean being a primary source market, the Saint Lucia tourism authority has chosen to launch the Saint Lucia Summer Festival campaign in Trinidad and Tobago. The campaign will thereafter continue in other Caribbean islands with the aim of increasing the number of visitors who get the opportunity to experience Saint Lucia culture. Some of Saint Lucia's carnival bands and properties have seized the opportunity to showcase their offerings to the Trinidad and Tobago public. The official opening of Saint Lucia Carnival will take place on Saturday May 25th 2019 at the Stab in Vigie. Under the village tourism project, the villages of Grosjele, Anselare and Souffre will each have their own theme such as wellness, art and craft and local traditions. With the help of low-interest financing supported by the government, property owners in each village will be encouraged to upgrade their homes and properties to make them suitable as accommodations for visitors. All owners will be licensed and will undergo training to ensure that the accommodations and services are at the same level as they would be in a hotel or resort. Local owners will also be supported with branding, marketing, sales, customer service and accounting systems. Honourable Dominic Fede, Minister for Tourism and Parliamentary Representative for Anselare Canaries, informed that to commence village tourism in the community of Anselare, the following improvements will be made. The upgrading of the jetty, installation of moorings, upgrading of the fish fry vending stalls, conversion of the old police station to include government offices, the creation of waterfront local seafood restaurants, bars and cafes, upgrading of the village square and the development of a carnival tour. This has been your Mindy News Brief. Thank you for watching.