Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Gabriel Osa
CALABAR, Nigeria — Nigeria’s Cross River State has reported a substantial economic windfall from its 2025 end-of-year cultural tourism season, with revenue from the famed Calabar Festivals and Carnivals surpassing ₦17.4 billion. State officials characterized the outcome as the most successful edition in years, citing increases in visitor numbers, daily economic activity, accommodation demand, and international media reach. The figures indicate continued momentum for one of West Africa’s most high-profile cultural events, marking its 20th anniversary with measurable expansion in economic impact and global visibility.
The 32-day festival season, which ran from late November through December 2025, attracted an estimated 248,000 visitors into Calabar, a figure representing approximately a 24 per cent increase on comparable data from the previous year. A significant proportion of these visitors arrived via Calabar International Airport, which logged more than 12,000 inbound passengers during the period. Of those arrivals, about 81 per cent came from within Nigeria, while travellers from the diaspora accounted for roughly four per cent, according to reports from the Cross River Tourism Bureau.
The growth in attendance and spending followed a broader national context in which cultural tourism events are increasingly viewed as engines of economic diversification. At the federal level, Nigeria’s tourism sector has been elevated under a new national branding framework designed to unify regional celebrations and deepen their economic footprint. This broader policy environment targets cultural assets such as “Detty December” celebrations and city festivals across multiple states as pillars of a cohesive strategy to boost economic growth outside the oil sector.
Cross River authorities detailed that transportation outlays alone—covering air, road, and other intercity travel—totalled approximately ₦10.6 billion, reflecting not only the volume of tourist movements but also increased travel costs and wider participation in related festivities. The uptick in travel corresponded with surges in ancillary sectors, including hospitality, dining, retail, and nightlife.
Hospitality businesses reported robust performance during the festival period. Average hotel occupancy in Calabar stood at 72 per cent, up from 68 per cent in 2024, with peaks exceeding 95 per cent between December 16 and December 30—a peak timeframe for major carnival parades and concerts. Total hotel booking revenue was estimated at nearly ₦3.9 billion, with thousands of room nights confirmed across the city’s accommodation network. Food and beverage services added roughly ₦2.05 billion in revenue, an indication of extended visitor stays and higher per-capita spending patterns.
Major local hotels, including established city centre properties, shouldered a significant share of accommodation revenue, while restaurants, street food vendors, and catering services experienced peak demand. The tourism season also stimulated business for alternative lodging platforms, such as short-term rental services, which saw heightened booking activity as visitors embraced diverse accommodation options.
Beyond Calabar city, popular natural and recreational attractions across the state enjoyed significant attention. Official estimates indicate that more than 370,000 tourists visited major sites such as Obudu Mountain Resort, Kwa Falls, and Marina Resort during the November–December window. This figure represents nearly 80 per cent growth compared with earlier periods, highlighting both rising destination awareness and the effectiveness of integrated tourism promotion around the festival calendar.
These numbers were not limited to occasional spectator activity. An estimated 780,000 spectators attended various on-site events across the festival’s multiple segments, including the Children’s Carnival, Bikers Carnival, Cultural Carnival, and Carnival Calabar parade—substantially expanding engagement beyond core ticket buyers.
Revenue streams linked to entertainment and creative expression also posted strong results. Ticketed events such as Funfest, the Calabar Fashion Show and the Queen of Humanity pageant collectively generated about ₦130 million. The nightlife sector, which saw expanded activity in clubs and lounges across the city, recorded combined revenues of approximately ₦460 million among leading venues. Ancillary creative services, from online streaming to dance troupes, vendors of arts and crafts, and car rental firms, contributed an estimated additional ₦1.7 billion, underscoring the festivals’ role as a broad stimulant for small and medium enterprises.
Media engagement metrics revealed the festivals’ extended reach beyond the immediate live audience. The 2025 edition achieved notable broadcast and digital viewership, with reported figures exceeding 1.3 billion across television networks and more than 120 million on live streaming platforms. Such expansive visibility amplified Calabar’s cultural brand on international and domestic stages, positioning it as one of Africa’s most watched cultural showcases.
The Calabar Festivals and Carnivals have evolved significantly since their inception in 2004, growing from a regional celebration into a culturally distinctive event that draws both domestic and international participation. They form part of a wider calendar of Nigerian tourism events that collectively aim to harness the country’s cultural assets for economic growth. National initiatives now seek to harness similar momentum across other events, including collaborative frameworks that integrate regional identities into a unified tourism brand.
Despite the positive figures, state officials have acknowledged the logistical pressures associated with large inflows of visitors, including traffic congestion, accommodation demand spikes, and infrastructure strain at peak moments. Local authorities have affirmed plans to strengthen crowd management systems, expand lodging capacity, enhance security protocols, and improve sanitation services ahead of future editions. These measures are expected to support continued growth while ensuring community benefits are equitably distributed.
As cultural tourism increasingly contributes to economic diversification strategies, the results from the 2025 Calabar Festivals underscore the potential of sustained creative branding and experience design to generate substantial revenue, attract investment, and enhance destination competitiveness. Cross River’s focus on quality event delivery and integrated tourism experiences appears to be yielding dividends, with the 2025 season reaffirming the role of cultural festivals as strategic drivers of socio-economic value in Nigeria.
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