Calgary’s tourism industry has ‘come back to life’

The year 2022 saw many, if not all, public health limitations lifted after years of COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions, paving the way for a revitalization of Calgary’s tourism industry.

Tourism dollars started flowing steadily through the city this summer after nearly two slow years, with the Calgary Stampede and other festivals driving a strong season.

Cindy Ady, CEO of Tourism Calgary, said this year’s success bodes well for the sector.

“It’s been an interesting summer to see everybody come out of their houses in earnest this year, and see this industry come back to life, and it has come back to life in a real sense,” Ady said. “It’s been a great summer for tourism.”

She said businesses overcame COVID-19 shutdowns and restrictions which dealt a severe blow to the industry, and it was tough to recover. Once Calgary attractions opened back up with full-fledged festivities, Ady described it as “going from zero to 1,000.”

Some of Tourism Calgary’s operators have had trouble finding staff after pandemic restrictions eased, as several people pivoted their careers, and others decided not to return to the industry.

“To give full credit to my partners, they did the business this summer with half the people, but they did it with such enthusiasm, and they just worked their guts out,” Ady said.

---

READ MORE:

• Calgary to get brand new professional basketball team

• ‘Heartbeat of Mother Earth’: Calgary Stampede hosts first powwow at Saddledome

---

She added the success of Stampede is usually a good indicator as to how tourism in Calgary is faring. Ady said this year’s triumphant return certainly helped.

“Typically, we would see a really, really strong first [Stampede] weekend, and then it would soften a little by the second weekend. But this year — unusual — our hotel occupancy was over 90 per cent for both weekends,” Ady said.

Around 1.3 million people attended the Calgary Stampede this year. Some of Tourism Calgary’s partners told Ady thanks to that, in no small part, they’ve had their best tourism season on record.

Ady said people from New York, California, and Texas are traditionally the most common visitors to Calgary. Europeans from the UK, Germany and France also make up a large portion of tourists in the city.

“This isn’t the kind of place you come in the family station wagon, you usually get on an airplane,” Ady explained.

The tourism season may soon be coming to a close, but it’s not quite over yet. Ady also said the Canadian Country Music Awards, which is coming to Calgary this year, should further fuel the industry.

The final hurdle to clear, according to Ady, will be the return of business travel.

The newly renovated BMO Centre, which, when completed, will be the largest event centre in western Canada, is opening in 2024, and Calgary has won its bid to host the Special Olympics Canada Winter Games 2024. Ady hopes events like those will complete Calgary’s revitalization and bring business travel back.

After two years of Zoom meetings and work-from-home lifestyles, we’ll have to wait and see if businesses will facilitate travel again to see their customers and clients in person again.

“That’s one that we’re really watching carefully right now,” Ady said. “They’re still coming back to life when it comes to meetings and conventions — those are big things to plan.”