Following Thursday’s incredible shots of a sea of red in Downtown Vancouver before and after Canada’s men’s soccer team’s historic win versus Qatar at BC Place, one expert thinks all of that is helping Vancouver track very well on the world stage.
Canada’s March to the Match is making its way, winding through Vancouver streets toward BC Place Stadium.It’s a full take over. Surreal atmosphere all along the route. Fans chanting and cheering, Vancouver is completely locked into the moment. Fully electric. Red is… pic.twitter.com/NzA8SNhrhi
Jarrett Vaughan is an adjunct professor at UBC’s Sauder School of Business. He tells 1130 NewsRadio all of the positive feedback so far from visitors near and far doesn’t surprise him.
“Vancouver is a hospitable city. It’s a beautiful city. It’s known as one of the most beautiful cities in the entire world, and we’re a global tourism destination, so once people are here, it’s no surprise they’re having an amazing experience,” he said.
“We have some great things happening in the city with the World Cup, and also the weather has been spectacular. So, when you look at the city, you walk on the seawall, you ride your bike around downtown, you can’t help but appreciate this amazing place.”
Canada fans have taken over the streets of Vancouver. ???????????? pic.twitter.com/KgzmNSNCvb
The key for the province and the local business community will be finding ways to turn all these visitors into actual tourism dollars.
“We need to ensure all the guests that come here have unparalleled experiences, that the hotels are operating in an environment they are anticipating the guests need,” Vaughan said.
“We need to ensure people are safe on our streets, and we need to make sure it feels festive. Festivity is a big part of the experience at the World Cup… these are all things that are in our control.”
1130 NewsRadio requested an update from the BC Hotel Association (BCHA) after earlier reports bookings for June were down up to 20 per cent pre-tournament. We were told the group has no “additional information,” adding June remains “soft compared to previous years.” It adds that now that the World Cup is underway, it won’t be providing any further comment.
Y’ALL SHOWED UP. LET’S GO CANADA! ???????? @CANMNT_Official #FIFAWorldCup #WeAreVancouver #WeAre26 pic.twitter.com/8pq92dFznA
The B.C. government has already said, on the high side, it could spend as much as $729 million on hosting duties. We asked Vaughan if he thinks the economic trickle-down effect could cover the costs.
“I think over the long-term, the tourism spin-off will probably be enough to cover the costs of the FIFA World Cup… but I certainly don’t think it will be immediate. It may be over the next five to 10 years. It’s hard to measure that spin-off, but I think there will probably be a benefit to the province.”
He adds the businesses that will benefit the most will be hotels, restaurants, and local tourism hot spots, like Grouse Mountain, the Capilano Suspension Bridge, and even Whistler.
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“It’s really easy to sell Vancouver on a sunny day. It’s very difficult for any city in the world to compete with the beauty we have here in Vancouver, so when those aerial shots of BC Place with the North Shore mountains in the background and seeing False Creek and Coal Harbour, English Bay, Kits Beach — it is very, very easy to look at the picture and think, ‘Wow, that is a place I want to go visit.,’” he said.
“We really are one of maybe four cities in the world that have mountains and ocean in the city… that makes us a significant world-class destination.”
The next match at BC Place is New Zealand vs. Egypt on June 21.
— With files from Maria Vinca