The Cross River State Tourism Bureau (CRSTB) has set the wheels in motion for a robust training programme for enumerators and officials, as it prepares for an extensive data capture exercise ahead of the next Carnival Calabar.
The bureau’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ekpenyong Ojoi, said in a statement issued on Tuesday in Lagos that the move was prompted by the blockbuster showing of the 2024 Calabar Festival and Carnival.
Ojoi explained that the training was crafted to properly equip field officers with the skills needed to accurately document visitor turnout, spending trends and the wider economic impact generated by the festive season.
He said the exercise forms part of a deliberate push to strengthen data-driven tourism planning and policy decisions in the state.
According to him, experienced facilitators drawn from the bureau and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) were engaged to guarantee the credibility and reliability of the data to be collected.
Ojoi noted that insights from the executive summary of the 2024 festival revealed just how much the carnival has grown in scale and economic relevance.
He recalled that the 2024 celebration, with the theme ‘Our Shared Prosperity’, ran for 32 days and featured headline attractions such as the Christmas Tree Lighting, the Calabar Food Festival, Carnival Calabar dry runs and the Parade of the Bands, alongside a rich mix of cultural performances, music, fashion events and sporting activities.
“According to the report, Margaret Ekpo International Airport recorded over 10,000 inbound passengers between Nov. 1 and Dec. 29, 2024, up from 7,452 in the same period in 2023.
“Of this figure, 79 per cent arrived from other Nigerian states while three per cent came from the diaspora, largely for leisure and carnival-related activities.
“An estimated 150,000 visitors entered Calabar in Dec. 2024 via road, air and sea, spending about N8.875 billion on transportation alone.
“This represented a 42 per cent increase in visitor numbers compared to 2023,” he said.
Ojoi added that major tourist sites, including the Obudu Mountain Resort, Marina Resort and Kwa Falls, also witnessed a sharp rise in traffic, recording over 300,000 visitors between November and December 2024, compared to about 190,345 during the same period in 2023.
He further revealed that hotel occupancy levels climbed to 68 per cent from 57 per cent the previous year, with more than 90 per cent of hotels operating at full capacity between Dec. 15 and Dec. 29.
He said hotel bookings generated an estimated N2.79 billion in revenue, while food and breakfast sales accounted for about N900 million.
Ojoi stated that the upcoming data collection exercise would build on the successes of 2024, deliver deeper insights into visitor behaviour and spending, and strengthen Cross River’s standing as one of Nigeria’s leading cultural and tourism destinations.
In the meantime, the Cross River State Government has made available about 4,000 hotel rooms and approved financial support to help hospitality operators refurbish and tidy up their facilities ahead of the carnival.
The state has also reinforced its air travel capacity through CallyAir, with the addition of two new aircraft as part of preparations for this year’s celebration.
