Calgary Stampede 2022 a financial success, says VP
Posted Jul 19, 2022 10:40 am.
The Calgary Stampede appears to have been a roaring success.
The final numbers are still being tallied, but Tourism Calgary is all smiles with this year’s full-capacity return of the city’s biggest event.
“We have seen initial indications of a very, very strong economic impact across our whole visitor economy from the Stampede this year,” Carson Ackroyd, senior VP of sales at Tourism Calgary, told CityNews.
The 10-day event wrapped up on Sunday, July 17.
On Monday, Calgarians watched as structures were torn down, returning the city to its normal self until the next big event.
Crews take apart Calgary Stampede attractions after the 10-day event wrapped up on Sunday, July 17, 2022. (Nick Blakeney, CityNews)
While many people may be done with the crowds, Ackroyd notes Stampede helps boost the local economy and has other long-lasting benefits.
“An estimated close to 30 per cent of the visitors who come to the Stampede are from outside of Calgary. It allows Calgary to gain an international reputation, which helps us on so many different fronts, from attracting additional events to the city to talent attraction,” he explained.
A lot of great weather and an eagerness for normal life felt by many after pandemic restrictions helped make this year’s Stampede a success. So much so, this year marked the fourth-most attended event in Stampede’s more than 100-year history, with more than 1.2 million people going through the turnstiles.
“It’s the most high-profile event that happens in Calgary every year,” Ackroyd noted.
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Horse euthanized after chuckwagon race at Calgary Stampede
While Tourism Calgary is touting the Stampede’s success, the event did not come without controversy. A horse was put down after it was hurt during a chuckwagon race — an event that has and continues to face much criticism.
According to the Vancouver Humane Society, six chuckwagon horses died during the 2019 Calgary Stampede. The society has been calling for the event to do away with chuckwagon races for years.
The Stampede was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It returned in the summer of 2021, though with capacity limits and other pandemic restrictions in place.
-With files from Joey Chini
