REGINA — The 109th Grey Cup and 2022 Grey Cup Festival generated $67.8 million in economic activity in Canada, adding $25.7 million to Saskatchewan’s GDP, a new study by Sport Tourism Canada has found.
No surprise. The peripheral effect for business, hotels, restaurants, just about everything is very good for the host city.
Probably the only host city that doesn't generate as much is Hamilton. With neighbouring cities it gets spread out a little more.
Yes true, not that many hotel rooms in Hamilton itself but thousands in the Toronto and Niagara area. If you stay at a hotel outside of Hamilton you will also eat at restaurants outside of the city too.
Again there are 100’s and 100’s of Air b&b type vacation rentals in the Hamilton area!
All happy to rent in the very slow time of November
Most of the activity (excluding the academic “multiplier” effect) was just the shifting of spending priorities … for example, Grey Cup tickets, travel and hotel rooms instead of a new couch and a summer vacation … spending shifted but no NEW economic activity … it is somewhat a robbing Peter to pay Paul situation … the local economy may benefit from spending by visitors but that money is drained from the economy of where those visitors come from.
Funny how these studies are always sponsored by someone trying to prove a point.
Hamilton does have a good number of hotel rooms. We have had many new hotels built in the last few years.
These are all within Hamilton limits (no Burlington - which has a bunch more)
Super 8
Casablanca Hotel
Quality Inn
Sandman
Comfort Inn
C Hotel
Courtyard Marriott
TownPlace Suites Marriott
Hamilton Inn Motel
Visitors Inn
The Laundry Rooms Hamilton
Premier Inn
Sheraton
Homewood Suites Hilton
That’s the whole point, though, isn’t it? Hosting a Grey Cup brings positive economic impact to the host city.
And then the city loses some of that economic impact each year fans decide to spend their money to attend a Grey Cup somewhere else rather than locally … and the numbers these “studies” present are artificial because they almost always use the "multiplier effect to boost the claim … it just isn’t as clear-cut as the “studies” and propoenents make it.
All the more reason for each city to host as many Grey Cups as it can.
And of course these studies never factor in how much money is brought in by folks who get a taste of the city during Grey Cup week and then return for a vacation in the future. And yes that would also mean money lost somewhere else where those people chose not to visit.