With a direct economic impact of $4.42 billion in 2024, Carnival Jamaica has returned to earnings enjoyed pre-COVID.

The figure represents a 44.2 per cent increase since 2019, manifesting a remarkable rebound for a business that was hard hit by the global lockdown.

The findings were presented from an economic impact assessment of Carnival Jamaica commissioned by the Ministry of Tourism.

Identifying Carnival as a crucial part of the ministry’s strategy to “market Jamaica as a destination for music, entertainment, food, and love,” Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett revealed that Carnival’s total economic impact in 2024 was a whopping $95.4 billion.

“Let me put that into perspective: For every single dollar invested in Carnival in Jamaica, our economy sees $130 in return. That’s good business,” Minister Bartlett shared. “This remarkable return on investment underscores what we’ve always known — that investments in our cultural industries yield dividends that far exceed their initial costs.”

The minister asserted that Carnival “isn’t merely a cultural celebration, but a powerful economic engine in Jamaica”.

He continued: “Carnival creates jobs and opportunities for our people. In 2024, our Carnival bands employed 55 full-time staff and engaged over 1,750 part-time workers. But the economic impact extends far beyond the bands themselves. Our economic analysis indicates that, through direct, indirect, and induced effects, Carnival in Jamaica supported approximately 115,247 full-time equivalent jobs throughout our economy in 2024. And let me just explain, Carnival is not just an event, there is a whole process that leads up to the finale…”

Further driving home the point of economic impact, Minister Bartlett revealed that Carnival attracted some 5,400 visitors to the island, who spent an average of US$3,209 per person injecting US$12.5 million directly into the economy.

Outlining that Jamaica has a unique Carnival product that keeps visitors coming back for more, Bartlett said that near 50 per cent of that figure represented repeat visitors.

“We are seeing that roughly 45 per cent of visitors are repeat visitors, and that’s in line with the repeat business that we have for tourism in Jamaica. What this is showing is that every band would have in it at least one person who has been here before, and that’s powerful. This indicates not only a growing interest in Jamaica’s Carnival product, but also represents an opportunity to convert these visitors into repeat tourists,” the minister outlined.

“For those yet to experience it, Carnival in Jamaica is a spectacular combination of tailgate parties, concerts, dance sessions and more…it is truly an explosion of colour, music, food, and great vibes,” he said.

Agreeing with the minister, Kamal Bankay, chairman of the Sports and Entertainment Network in the Tourism Linkages Network, said while the economic boost from Carnival Jamaica is vast, its cultural impact is equally important.

“Pre-COVID, in 2019, Carnival in Jamaica was recognised as one of the fastest-growing carnivals in the region. Since the Carnival in Jamaica initiative started in 2016, executed in 2017, we have averaged, year-after-year, 100 per cent growth until COVID, and since then we have resumed our growth trajectory. This year seems, from all accounts…it will be our biggest year yet,” he said.

“What you may not hear from the numbers, and what we’re here to tell you, is that the cultural impact of Carnival is significant,” Bankay continued. “Our Carnival in Jamaica product is very unique. It not only combines some of the regional Caribbean musical influences, but also seeks to incorporate our local home-grown music influences as well. Be it dancehall, dancehall-soca hybrids, our artistes are involved, and we see it every year when our top artistes are on the road with us.”

He added that Jamaica is slowly uniting behind this Carnival product, and that is metamorphosing into its own indigenous product, “…which is what our dream was when we started this journey back in 2016”, declared Bankay.

Michael Ammar Jr (left), co-director of Bacchanal Jamaica, shares a moment with Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett at a press conference to release findings from a recent study highlighting the economic impact of Carnival in Jamaica. (Photo:Karl Mclarty)