Caribbean Adult Industry Association Announces January Launch

LOS ANGELES—Local Caribbean news outlet St. Lucia News Online posted a tantalizing press release today about the launch in January of a trade association for adult entertainment professionals in the area. The release reads, "After recent discussions, adult entertainment operators and professionals across the region are coming together to form the Caribbean Adult Industry Association (C.A.I.A). This initiative is spearheaded by Charlie Spice of Barbados, who has been involved in adult entertainment for over 30 years in the USA, UK, Europe and the Caribbean." No one in the office here is acquainted with Charlie Spice, and the iafd.com database does not list anyone under that name, but that doesn't mean he has not had the aforementioned experience. Adult entertainment is a big tent. Indeed, according to an autobiography currently being written by Spice, the preface for which can be read on his website, the Barbados-native's vast experience includes stints as "a Male Strip Dancer, Escort, Strip Club operator and Escort Agency owner." If he ever gets around to finishing the autobiography, it could be a page-turner. The rest of the release is made up of a lengthy quote from Spice explaining the need for the planned association. "Over the years," he says, "the number of adult entertainment operators and professionals in the Caribbean has grown astronomically. Sex is generating million of dollars a year in each country across the region and has undeniably become a massive industry and a major contributor to the GPD and the economy on the whole. "The recession in particular is one of the factors fuelling this growth," he continues. "In spite of unrelenting adversity from some members of the private and public sectors across the region, the adult industry continues to grow exponentially across the region and therefore the need to launch an organization to offer proper organization, representation and structure is timely and critically important. "Like it or not," he concludes, "the industry has evolved and is here to stay.” For more information about the C.A.I.A., go here. Image: Charlie Spice strikes a nautical pose.