The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts is hailing Trinidad & Tobago carnival 2024 as one of the most successful in many years. The government invested the TT$640 million into carnival related economy and this was expectedly created a ripple effect that stimulated economic activity in many other sectors.”
The Minister in a release dated February 24, identified the Carnival season was the 19-day period from January 26 to February 13, 2024. They reported that 29,651 non-national visitors arrived by air compared to 27,375 in 2023, and 11,793 nationals who live abroad (diaspora).
For this period the release stated that tourists spent an estimated at US$94.2 million or TT$640 million for the 2024 Carnival period. These numbers the Ministry said, did not take into consideration the 71,010 people who took short visits to TT to attend specific Carnival-related activities such as fetes between January 1-February 13.
There were also approximately 20,423 people who visited on cruise ships. They spent about US$878,189 or TT$5.97 million in total.
There was also significant increases in attendance in several marquee shows for the season.
One of the major success stories in carnival 2024 was Panorama which saw approximately 2,644 more people in attendance than last year, a 20 per cent increase from 12,970 to 15,614. And pay-per-view subscriptions increased by 52 per cent from 1,334 in 2023 to 2,032 in 2024.
The John Cupid Village played host to 100,000 people, 30,000 more than last year and about 1,200 people, an increase of 500, attended the re-enactment of the Canboulay Riots on Carnival Friday in East Port of Spain. The Dimanche Gras had an 87 per cent increase in patrons from 1,376 to 2,578.
The ministry also provided approximately $8,395,000 in supplemental financial assistance to over 8,100 people and organisations in the calypso, chutney and steelpan fields to the National carnival Commission to host Carnival.