In this part of the world, the term ‘Orange Economy’ is still not widely used. Also known as the Creative Economy, it covers industries built on culture, creativity, and intellectual property. That includes music, film, fashion, design, animation, festivals, publishing, gaming, and cultural tourism. It transforms artistic ideas into measurable economic value and sustainable growth.
Worldwide, creative sectors generate trillions in value and tens of millions of jobs, accelerated by digital distribution, e-commerce, and AI tools that lower barriers to creation and export.
For the Caribbean, and Trinidad & Tobago in particular, the Orange Economy is a diversification engine. Our Carnival arts – mas, calypso/soca, chutney, and steelpan music, fashion, film, and culinary culture already draw global demand that can be further maximised. Trinbagonian standard-bearers like soca gurus Machel Montano, Kes the Band, and Bunji Garlin, designer Anya Ayoung-Chee, and brands such as Carnival band Tribe and animation powerhouse, Animae Caribe, demonstrate how culture scales into commerce.
What would the Orange Economy look like in the next 5-10 years? If T&T and the region act on focused enablers, the creative sector’s contribution could potentially double by 2035. Priority moves include:
- Carnivals & Festivals: Year-round transformation of products and services into a standardised, repeatable, and scalable commercial offering or ‘product’ that can be sold to a wide customer base e.g, touring mas costume lines to events around the world, craft marketplaces, IP-licensed digital assets, could lift festival revenues while driving off-season tourism.
- Music & Live: Building interconnected live performance networks and centralised digital licensing platforms to help Caribbean artists earn more and expand their global reach.
- Film/Animation/Content: Tax incentives, studio spaces, and co-production treaties can expand exports, creating high-skill jobs for editors, animators, and sound engineers.
- Design & Fashion: E-commerce and small-batch manufacturing and export financing can increase designer margins.
- Art & Heritage: Certified galleries, art fairs, and fractional ownership platforms can widen collector bases and artist incomes.
T&T’s potential path
With targeted policy, digital distribution, creative hubs, export financing, and professional partners, Trinidad & Tobago’s creative industries can become a central driver of the Orange Economy – growing jobs, exports, and national pride, transforming culture into capital and imagination into impact.
Moore Trinidad & Tobago supports creative businesses with its suite of services, including accounting, tax strategy, business re-engineering, grant/loan readiness, cash-flow planning, and royalty calculation/tracking, turning passion into bankable, compliant enterprises.
