A major participant in this year’s staging of Jamaica Carnival has forecast that the economic boost from the festival will surpass that of 2019.

Scott Dunn, the managing director of Dream Entertainment — co-owner of Xodus Carnival Band, said his projections of earnings from Carnival Jamaica are based on a study by the COVID Economic Recovery Taskforce, headed by the Ministry of Finance and Public Service, which stated that “festivals in Jamaica have a total estimated impact of $28.7 billion”.

The study went on to indicate that the entertainment industry “generates significant economic activity” given the gross revenues from the industry and that 75 per cent of all events have an estimated economic impact of $21.5 billion.

“We are expecting to surpass 2019 numbers in terms of the number of international tourists that will be coming in this year; the economic boost should be in the region of about $5 billion to what it was previously,” said Dunn.

In February Dream Entertainment through Xodus joined spirits distributor Campari Jamaica and Yard Mas band to announce a partnership that would redound to the economic benefit of Jamaica, extending beyond the entertainment sector to include micro, small and medium-sized entities.

“Campari chose to partner with Xodus and Yard Mas for Carnival in Jamaica because the season provides commerce opportunities for small and medium businesses owners and staff, many of whom are in our target audience and market,” Campari PR, Brand & Communications Manager Dominic Bell shared with Jamaica Observer.

“The trickle-down effect of this partnership comes from both mas bands receiving corporate backing and support, they can enhance the offerings for their consumers. This will be done through the engagement of freight forwarders, creative community [costume designers, photographers, videographers, etc], couriers, transport operators, AirBnB hosts, bar operators, security personnel, ancillary and sanitation workers, event execution agencies and staff, in addition to a myriad of other players within the ecosystem of Carnival in Jamaica,” he continued.

In Jamaica, Carnival week is held following Easter celebrations and will be observed from April 13 to 16. During this time Xodus will hosting a number of events including high-ticket fetes such as Tailgate, J’ouvert and Remedy.

One of the biggest cultural features of the Caribbean, carnival is estimated to have an economic impact of $4.6 billion with spend from tourists attending events totalling $2.97 billion.

Data from the Jamaica Tourist Board show that visitors spent an average of US$236 per person per day during the 2017 carnival season.

“Within the last two decades, and especially during the pandemic, Carnival has proven that the sector is a critical partner for the country’s entertainment and tourism, and [now the] wider economic recovery,” Bell told Business Observer.

Dream Entertainment has disclosed that costumes from the Xodus band are almost sold out.

On Sunday, Campari and Yard Mas will join Xodus to host the first staging of Campari Boulevard on Knutsford Boulevard in New Kingston.