Latest news with #TourismCalgary
CTV News
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘A real Canadian experience' says Tourism Calgary as Shania Twain leads parade, PM Carney attends
Watch Tourism Calgary's Alisha Reynolds on the high-energy kickoff to the Stampede and expected crowds over 10 days.
Calgary Herald
03-07-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Financial Post Economic impact from Calgary Stampede at heart of growing tourism targets
Tourism Calgary has its eyes on the prize of growing the city to $6 billion in annual visitor revenue by 2035, more than double last year's $2.9 billion. Article content Massive economic impact from the Calgary Stampede has become the cornerstone of that target. With more international eyes on Calgary than it has seen in decades during the recent G7 leaders' summit in Kananaskis, the city hopes to stick the Stampede landing and translate the worldwide attention into long-term economic growth. Article content Article content Article content Calgary has already been a hot spot for travel so far this summer. According to Tourism Calgary CEO Alisha Reynolds, the city is coming off a 'record-setting hotel revenue month in May, where occupancy citywide hit a 13-year record at 73.2 per cent.' Article content Article content 'Stampede visitations and hotel stays specifically are looking very strong, and are pacing where they were last year in the record-setting year, and in some cases ahead,' Reynolds said. Article content Deborah Yedlin, CEO and president of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, says the yearly Stampede canvas auction has always been an indicator of Calgary's economic outlook. The event allows corporate sponsors to bid on the chance to advertise on chuckwagon tarps over the course of the Rangeland Derby. This year, it broke records for the highest average bid and combined to the second highest all-time pot at $3.84 million, just below the Stampede's centennial anniversary in 2012. Article content Article content More premium seating planned at grandstand Article content Article content Calgary Stampede CEO Joel Cowley says tickets for the rodeo and evening show are outpacing last year's record, with premium grandstand seating already on an extensive waiting list. They're tearing down a structure on the north end of the GMC Stadium to build more, as soon as this year's Stampede ends. Article content 'We'll add seven new suites and a party deck on top to help meet that demand,' Cowley said. 'That's going to be ready for 2026.' Article content The building currently houses broadcast production, judges and EMTs in the space, although Cowley says the new construction will house all three in addition to the new suites. He says that no regular seating is being sacrificed for the sake of premium spaces, and that the only thing being relocated is a room that the Calgary Stampede chuckwagon and relay committee uses to host during the rodeo and evening shows.
Calgary Herald
03-07-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
National youth volleyball tournaments 'set' to bring 45,000 visitors to Calgary next spring
Calgary is 'set' to host the Volleyball Canada Youth National Championships next spring — a series of tournaments that will attract roughly 45,000 visitors, according to the city's top tourism official. Article content Alisha Reynolds, president and CEO of Tourism Calgary, said the 2026 national youth volleyball championships will take place over three weekends from May 15 to 31. The tournaments, hosted at the BMO Centre, will feature around 1,450 boys' and girls' club volleyball teams from across the country for the 15U to 18U age divisions. Article content Article content Article content Article content The BMO Centre will be adapted to house temporary volleyball courts in the trade show area, Reynolds said, adding the tournaments will bring 18,000 players and approximately 27,000 spectators to Calgary, spread out across 17 days. Article content An official from Volleyball Canada said the event is expected to support 1,150 businesses and generate an estimated $22 million in direct economic impact. Article content 'Calgary has long been an important partner for Volleyball Canada, and we're incredibly excited to bring our flagship national championship back to the city,' said Sandra de Graaff, Volleyball Canada's director of domestic competitions. Article content Article content 'When we host these events, we tend to take over the city and leave an impact.' Article content De Graaff added Volleyball Canada hosted a tournament in the BMO Centre back in 2015 and is excited to see what the convention centre looks like now, after its $500-million expansion. Article content 'For us, the expansion has given us space for even more courts to bring a bigger tournament,' she said. Article content Hosting events of such magnitude will help Tourism Calgary achieve its goal of doubling the value of the city's visitor economy from $3 billion to $6 billion by 2035, Reynolds said. Article content With recent large-scale tourist draws in the rear-view mirror, including the Global Energy Show, G7 Leaders Summit and Rotary International convention in June, and with the Stampede set to welcome north of one million people this year, Reynolds said Calgary is on track to welcome a record 8.7 million tourists in 2025. Article content In May and June, Tourism Calgary brought in 48 meetings or conventions, she said.
Calgary Herald
03-07-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
First Flip Stampede Breakfast takes over Stephen Ave
Calgarians lined up along Stephen Avenue for the most important meal of the day, right before the city's biggest event, with the First Flip Breakfast to kick off the 2025 Stampede season on Thursday. Article content CEO of Tourism Calgary, Alisha Reynolds, said the event is one that they are very proud of, which has grown significantly over the last 14 years from their little parking garage, to taking over a whole city street. Article content Article content Article content Although she's flipped around 100 pancakes, Reynolds estimates that they served up more than 10,000 pancakes over the morning. Article content The event also hosted several prominent figures from the province and city including Premier Danielle Smith, Mayor Jyoti Gondek, the new Minister of Emergency Management and community Resilience Elanor Olszewski, and members of Calgary city council. Article content 1/2: The First Flip is in the books for 2025! Hosted by YYC tourism and downtown organizations, the first pancake breakfast of the Stampede season was this morning on Stephen Avenue walk. #calgarycentre #yyc #cdnpoli #calgarystampede2025 — Greg McLean (@GregMcLeanYYC) July 3, 2025 Article content Article content Reynolds said their presence at the event, even flipping a few of their own flapjacks in front of a packed crowd, speaks to the way Stampede acts as a bridge that connects all orders of the government to regular people. Article content Article content 'Events like this bring people out to have a good time and to find the commonality in things, which is community, spirit, having fun, and really living with gratitude together in this place that we all love,' she said. Article content As a treat that brings people together, Reynolds said that Calgary Tourism loves being a champion in the community that showcases the first line of excitement and hospitality right before Stampede. Article content 'It's buzzing and we all feel so grateful,' she said. 'It's a beautiful 'Blue Sky' day. The epitome of what life in Calgary is like.' Article content With a record-breaking 1.47 million attendees at last year's event, Reynolds said there are strong indicators that this year's festivities will see a new record. She adds that there are projections showing a positive uptick from all around the world.
CBC
26-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Calgary 'bucking the trend' as U.S. visits to area surge amid nationwide slump
Canada may be seeing fewer American visitors this spring, but Calgary is proving to be the outlier. Statistics Canada released data this week showing 1.3 million U.S. residents made trips to Canada in April, which is down 8.9 per cent from the same month in 2024. Looking at air travel specifically, StatsCan released data earlier this month that showed a six-per-cent drop in U.S. residents arriving at major Canadian airports in April 2025, compared to April the previous year. However, at the Calgary International Airport, the picture was completely different, with U.S. arrivals up by 29 per cent. Calgary's airport has been an outlier for several months in a row, with a six-per-cent increase in U.S. visitors in February and an eight-per-cent increase in March. Across all major Canadian airports, by contrast, air travel by American residents was pretty much unchanged in February and March, compared to the same months in 2024. "Calgary and Alberta have so much to offer," said Alisha Reynolds, president with Tourism Calgary. "We're delighted to be bucking the trend." Reynolds said data has indicated that spending from the United States has trended positive since the beginning of the year in Calgary, and it has maintained strength through to the end of April. She noted that Mastercard Economics Institute ranked Calgary among the emerging top destinations for summer travel among the US and Canada relative to the same time last year, the only Canadian city to make that list. The tourism industry has been navigating a complex backdrop in recent months, with fewer Canadians travelling to the United States since U.S. President Donald Trump's election win. On the flip side, tourism associations have worried that Americans might stay home, fearing a less-than-receptive response from Canadians. Asked why Calgary is doing so well relative to other Canadian cities, Reynolds suggested coordinated advertising and a busy convention calendar could have been contributors. "We take a 'Team Alberta' approach … between Tourism Calgary and Travel Alberta," she said. "We've made a concerted effort through all this noise to target U.S. travelers to reinforce our city and our province as destinations of choice for both business and leisure." Airport cites major events, favourable exchange rate The Calgary Airport Authority said it had seen the increase in visitation to Calgary from U.S. residents this April. It attributed that increase to a number of factors, including stronger air connectivity with U.S. routes, major event activity and favourable currency exchange for U.S. travellers. "Overall, the strength we're seeing has continued through May and June, and aligns with what we expected heading into peak season where we expect over 67,000 passengers through YYC daily from June to August," reads a statement from the airport. Canmore tourism sector optimistic as major events shine spotlight on town in 2025 Rob Filby, managing partner of the Rose and Crown in Canmore, has watched the uptick in American travellers first-hand. For some American tourists, the Canadian Rockies remain a strong draw, he said. "It definitely started, I'd say in the wintertime — the American dollar was so strong. And we always get a lot of American. We're a tourist town," Filby said. "Obviously, the Bow Valley is a bucket list place where people want to come and see." Filby, who also bartends and regularly chats with customers, said he's noticing a shift in how long American tourists are staying, too. "Previously, they would be shorter periods, maybe three or four days over their American holiday," he said. "But with their dollar being strong, they're staying longer and spending more." Jack Jiang, a trust and estates attorney who lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia, was visiting the region this past week. On Wednesday, he was on a flight back home with his wife after visiting Banff, which he said always had attracted him with its blue waters and great hikes. "It was amazing. We will never look at lakes the same way again. We loved how there are many types of hikes of different skill levels and rewarding views," Jiang told CBC News via text, using the in-flight WiFi. Jiang said he was aware of the recent strain in U.S.-Canada relations, but it didn't affect the couple much. "We did read the recent strain in the news and were actually glad to get away from the country that initiated the tension and enjoy some off-the-grid weather," Jiang said. "Hopefully no major rift, we wish the two nations remain friendly and not hostile." Though Canada saw an 8.9-per-cent decrease in U.S. residents taking trips to Canada in April, that still represented 76.7 per cent of all non-resident trips to Canada that month.
