Calgary a popular destination for tourists in 2019
Posted Oct 8, 2019 5:07 pm.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) — Once again, Calgary is proving to be a popular destination for travellers.
The Conference Board of Canada’s Travel Markets Outlook predicts that visits to Calgary in 2019 will surpass 7.9 million and visitor spending will reach $2.1 billion.
Buoyed by major events like the Canadian Country Music Awards and the upcoming Grey Cup Championship and Festival, Tourism Calgary is expecting it to be another significant year for tourism in the city.
“Calgary’s tourism industry is a vital economic driver, with over 7.7 million annual visitors contributing $2 billion each year to the economy and supporting jobs in multiple sectors,” said Cindy Ady, CEO of Tourism Calgary. “With the diverse range of festivals, events and experiences available in our city, it’s no surprise that travellers are continuing to make Calgary a destination of choice.”
May through August is typically the busiest time of year for Calgary’s tourism industry. This year during that time, there was a record-high demand for hotel rooms with 1.3 million rooms sold — up 3.4 per cent over the same period in 2018.
Five new hotels have opened this year, increasing supply by 6.8 per cent and bringing the total number of available rooms in Calgary up to 3.7 million.
During this period, YYC Calgary International Airport also welcomed over 6.5 million travellers an increase of 2.5 per cent over 2018.
The PGA TOUR Champions Shaw Charity Classic, 2019 Canadian Country Music Awards and Week, Red Bull Outliers, and the Society of Petroleum Engineers’ Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition were a few of the events that came to town.
The Grey Cup Championship and Festival from Nov. 20 to 24, is expected to draw 100,000 attendees and generate over $35 million in economic impact.
