Vancouver Foodie Tours is hoping to dine out on an influx of holiday makers for the FIFA World Cup, when soccer fans begin converging on town next month.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve actually custom curated the script and the tastings in each three of our tours to be themed with what\u2019s occurring in town for that point and to essentially highlight the history of football in Vancouver,\u201d said Veronica Irvine, operations manager for the corporate, which takes food lovers on dining journeys through town.<\/p>\n
Irvine said the corporate previously did themed tours for fans on the town for Taylor Swift\u2019s Eras Tour in December 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvent-driven experiences have been on the rise and Vancouver really comes alive when these events come into town, and it just makes a number of sense to simply be an element of it,\u201d Irvine said.<\/p>\n
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As FIFA banners and signage begin popping up, Destination Vancouver CEO Royce Chwin said he can \u201cfeel the momentum constructing\u201d in town.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen our businesses begin to get on board with their plans and announce their events in and around town, whether or not it\u2019s viewing parties, any of those sorts of things,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But while businesses like Vancouver Foodie Tours and tourism authorities are hoping for a lift when the tournament hits Vancouver and Toronto, some experts warn that it\u2019s easier to discover winners and losers on the soccer pitch than in relation to the economics of the World Cup.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s only a month before the kickoff, but firm figures around the ultimate price tag of the event, its economic advantages and legacy remain unclear. Calculating the immediate boost is complicated by the very fact the tournament is displacing other events and occurring in what can be already be peak tourism season in each cities.<\/p>\n
Wayne Smith, the director for the Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Research at Toronto Metropolitan University, said the longer-term impact of hosting such an event could last a long time \u2014 but those advantages may never be quantifiable either.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been taking a look at economic impact evaluation of events for over 20 years, and I can\u2019t consider a way you possibly can do it legitimately and never be guessing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cFor the World Cup, you will have to have a look at it more (as) a marketing exercise versus tourism impact.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith said it\u2019s a probability for cities to indicate off on a world stage, and potentially attract tourists for years to come back.<\/p>\n
Toronto and Vancouver are amongst 16 cities across Canada, the USA and Mexico that can host a combined 104 games throughout the expanded 48-team tournament, running June 11 through July 19.<\/p>\n
Toronto has set a $380-million budget for the tournament, which incorporates funding from the federal and provincial governments. FIFA has previously estimated as much as $940 million in economic output for the Greater Toronto Area.<\/p>\n
The newest cost estimate for B.C., meanwhile, was provided by the province last June, where it said the estimate had jumped to between $532 million and $624 million, a rise of as much as 10 per cent on 2024 estimates. No latest figure was provided at an update on preparations last week.<\/p>\n
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The B.C. government justified the prices last yr by saying the event would bring about 350,000 fans to the province and generate greater than a billion dollars of tourism within the five years after the games.<\/p>\n
Jarrett Vaughan, an adjunct professor on the University of British Columbia\u2019s Sauder School of Business, said it\u2019s a good estimate for B.C., but \u201cwhether those numbers are accurate or not \u2014 it\u2019s nearly inconceivable for anybody to know.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s actually very difficult for the federal government to know these numbers, which is shocking because they seemingly are putting the cash in (so) how does the federal government not understand how much is definitely going to be spent?<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is where, as taxpayers, we as residents, must query the federal government on the investment that they\u2019re putting into events like this, and the way they may not understand how much money it’ll cost and what are the advantages of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The federal government clarified its contribution last month as a part of its spring financial update, saying it’s providing $145 million toward security costs in Vancouver and Toronto.<\/p>\n
B.C. will receive $100 million of those funds, however the provincial public safety minister said last month that the ultimate price tag won\u2019t be known for weeks because security arrangements are still being worked out.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, as you may imagine, the prices related to safety and security will proceed to evolve, as we finalize preparations to welcome the world to the FIFA 2026 games,\u201d Nina Krieger said.<\/p>\n
It just isn’t as if the B.C. government is unaware of potential pricing pitfalls. Under former premier John Horgan, it initially said in March 2018 it was not prepared to have Vancouver function a bunch city due to cost concerns.<\/p>\n
Horgan said later that his government wasn\u2019t willing \u201cto write down a blank cheque.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Nevertheless it later modified its mind, citing a possible boost to the tourism sector hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
Montreal, nevertheless, dropped its candidacy in July 2021 after the\u00a0Quebec\u00a0government withdrew financial support, citing costs and restrictive FIFA demands.<\/p>\n
Quebec\u2019s Tourism Ministry said in an emailed statement that its evaluation of the marketing strategy found that the prices of hosting the games in Montreal would \u201cvastly exceed estimates.\u201d It also noted that FIFA requirements would mean many sports infrastructure assets can be unavailable for other use for an prolonged time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith all this in mind, the federal government continues to carry the view that it was the appropriate decision to not submit a bid for Montreal to be a FIFA host city,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Smith, from Toronto Metropolitan University, is skeptical about direct tourism advantages for Vancouver and Toronto.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t‘THE CITY WOULD HAVE BEEN SOLD OUT ANYWAY’\t\t\t<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n