Carnival’s contribution extends well beyond cultural pride. It is a complex economic system that generates jobs, drives foreign exchange and sustains entire creative industries when properly supported, panellists agreed during Term Finance’s Wellness Wednesday webinar, Carnival & Culture – Fuelling Economic Growth in T&T.
National Carnival Commission (NCC) CEO Keiba Mottley revealed that the NCC is collaborating with the Inter-American Development Bank on a pilot study to measure Carnival’s economic impact. The initiative is focused on building a methodology that the country can own and apply to future festivals, allowing policymakers and stakeholders to make evidence-based decisions around investment and growth.
Data collection will take place throughout the season, with enumerators surveying patrons at events. Public cooperation, Mottley noted, will be critical to capturing the true scale of spending, employment, and business activity generated by Carnival.
