Business

Visa transactions leaped more than 30% during T&T Carnival 2025  

Loop News

March 26, 2025 11:13 AM ET

3 mins read

Visa, a global leader in digital payments, today announced that transactions across all Visa payment methods during Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival, held from March 3 to 4, 2025, increased by more than 30 per cent compared to last year’s Carnival.  

According to an analysis from Visa Consulting & Analytics (VCA), online Visa transactions showed sustained growth with a more than 75 per cent increase compared to last year. 

“Events like the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival exemplify the impact of Visa’s strategic efforts to enhance consumer convenience through innovative, fast, reliable, and secure payment methods, which in turn stimulate economic growth during significant cultural celebrations,” said Jorge Salum, Country Manager, Visa Trinidad and Tobago. “This data reveals consumers are feeling more secure shopping online and highlights the rapid expansion in the number of local merchants accepting online payments. At Visa, we remain committed to bringing innovative payment solutions to revolutionise the way people get paid and pay in Trinidad and Tobago.” 

Highlights from the Visa transactions recorded during Trinidad and Tobago Carnival 2025 include: 

·       Debit transactions. The analysis made by Visa’s consulting team revealed Visa transactions during Trinidad and Tobago Carnival 2025 were driven by debit cards. 

·       Contactless Payments. Contactless payments increased over 15 per cent in transactions made from March 3 to 4, 2025 in Trinidad and Tobago, highlighting the growing preference for this technology to enable fast, secure and convenient payments. 

·       International tourists. There was an increase in international travelers to Trinidad and Tobago during the Carnival 2025 dates, with a 10 per cent growth in cross-border transactions made in the country during these festivities, compared to the Carnival dates from the previous year. The highest volume of international transactions during Carnival 2025 came from visitors from the United States, Canada and United Kingdom. Top product categories for international tourists included airlines, fast food restaurants and restaurants. 

VCA’s consulting team analysed data related to consumer transactions that took place via VisaNet from March 3 to 4, 2025 in Trinidad and Tobago compared to the period of February 12 to 13, 2024, excluding Visa Direct-related transactions and spend.  

These growth percentages relate to transactions in US dollars and local currency.