The Cross River State Tourism Bureau (CRSTB) has begun preparatory training for a comprehensive data collection exercise ahead of the upcoming Detty December season in Calabar, building on the strong turnout and economic gains recorded during the 2024 Calabar Festival and Carnival.
The training is designed to equip enumerators and officials with skills to accurately track visitor numbers, spending patterns and the wider economic impact of festive tourism.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of CRSTB, Ekpenyong Ojoi, said resource persons from both the bureau and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) are facilitating the exercise, reflecting the state government’s commitment to evidence-based tourism planning.
Ojoi noted that findings from the 2024 executive summary revealed the growing scale and economic importance of the Calabar Festival and Carnival, prompting the need for more detailed and robust data ahead of this year’s festivities.
The 32-day festival, themed “Our Shared Prosperity,” featured attractions such as the Christmas Tree Lighting, Carnival Calabar, food festivals, concerts, cultural displays and sports events.
According to the report, Margaret Ekpo International Airport recorded over 10,000 inbound passengers between November 1 and December 29, 2024, up from 7,452 in the same period of 2023.
About 79 per cent arrived from other Nigerian states, while three per cent came from the diaspora.
Overall, an estimated 150,000 visitors entered Calabar in December 2024 via road, air and sea, spending about ₦8.875 billion on transportation alone—a 42 per cent increase in visitor numbers over 2023.
Tourism activity extended beyond the carnival, with over 300,000 visitors recorded at major attractions, including Obudu Mountain Resort, Marina Resort and Kwa Falls, between November and December 2024.
Hotel occupancy rose to 68 per cent from 57 per cent the previous year, with over 90 per cent of hotels fully booked between December 15 and 29.
CRSTB officials say the new Detty December data drive aims to consolidate these gains, deepen insights into visitor behaviour and strengthen Cross River’s position as a leading cultural and tourism destination in Nigeria.
Reporting by Chioma Ezike