Jamaica Carnival pulls thousands of international visitors to Kingston

More than 26 thousand international visitors arrived in Kingston, Jamaica in time for carnival festivities during the period April 1-20. 
 
That is according to the Jamaica Tourist Board(JTB) which also confirmed an increase in international participation in Jamaica's cultural activities. 
 
The Jamaica Carnival committee further indicated that of that number, 8,000 people were revelers while another 50,000 people were spectators. 
 
Speaking on the international visitor data results, the director of tourism at JTB Donovan White said, "Carnival in Jamaica has become a melting pot of international, regional, and local participants who want to experience the energy of Kingston through music, food, and friends. 
 
It has become the ideal platform to reinforce Kingston as the cultural capital of the Caribbean and we want to maximize that to help boost arrivals and spending from our visitors on the island." 
 
The tourism director also notes that his team is making plans to capitalize on the brand Jamaica marketing opportunities that Jamaica Carnival 2024 is presenting.  
 
"These numbers, while just shy of what would have been achieved before the pandemic, are very positive for the growth of the event and its economic benefits. 
 
It also speaks to the unifying element that music can achieve with both revelers and spectators all enjoying the fun," White added. 
 
The 2023 staging of Jamaica Carnival saw the execution of soca parties, wrap sessions, and new music release shows in Kingston, Ocho Rios, and Montego Bay, with a grand parade of the bands in Kingston to close out the annual festival. 
 
Carnival celebration in Jamaica took a two-year break in the wake of public gathering restrictions imposed by the government during the peak period of the COVID-19 virus spread throughout the island.