KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has introduced that Carnival in Jamaica generated an astounding J$95.4 billion in whole financial output in 2024, positioning the annual occasion as one of many nation’s strongest financial and cultural property.
On Tuesday, April 15, 2025, Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, spoke at a press briefing. He shared the outcomes of an essential examine on the financial affect of Carnival in Jamaica. The occasion was attended by senior authorities officers and main figures from the leisure trade.
The examine was carried out by Michael Marshall. He works as a Analysis Fellow. He’s on the Centre for Management and Governance. That is situated on the College of the West Indies, Mona. The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) requested for this examine via its Tourism Linkages Network. It assessed Carnival’s affect on job creation, earnings era, and its broader linkages inside the tourism sector.
Financial Influence
“Carnival just isn’t merely a celebration—it’s severe enterprise,” Minister Bartlett declared. “In 2024 alone, we noticed a direct financial affect of J$4.42 billion, with multiplier results pushing whole output to over J$95 billion. For each greenback invested, Carnival generated a return of J$130. That’s the form of ROI most sectors can solely dream of.”
The examine discovered that Carnival in Jamaica created about 115,247 full-time jobs in 2024. These jobs had been in occasion administration, hospitality, retail, and the inventive sector. It additionally generated J$19.14 billion in earnings for Jamaican staff and companies.
Carnival bands alone invested J$727 million, with costume manufacturing accounting for J$331.4 million, supporting native designers, seamstresses, and artisans.
Customer Spending
Carnival continues to play a pivotal function in Jamaica’s tourism technique. In 2024, 5,400 worldwide guests travelled to the island particularly for the festivities, spending a median of US$3,209 per individual, leading to US$12.5 million in direct customer spending. Greater than 54% of those guests had been first-timers, signalling sturdy potential for future progress.
Native participation was sturdy, with 7,400 Jamaicans becoming a member of in. Every individual spent a median of J$252,900 on costumes, health, magnificence providers, and leisure. This added as much as J$1.73 billion in direct native spending.
Though operational prices and inflation have moderated the return on funding from J$198 per greenback in 2019 to J$130 in 2024, the examine nonetheless identifies Carnival as a very high-impact initiative. The common return throughout the examine interval (2019, 2023, and 2024) was J$159.09 per greenback spent.
Minister Bartlett detailed methods to bolster Carnival by enhancing advertising, fostering community connections, innovating band experiences, and implementing sustainability measures.
“We’re not resting on our laurels,” he mentioned. “With continued collaboration between authorities, the non-public sector, and our communities, Carnival in Jamaica will proceed to be a celebration that builds our economic system and showcases the perfect of brand name Jamaica.”
The subsequent Highway March is scheduled for Sunday, April 27, 2025, and is anticipated to be one of many largest but.
