Grey Cup good for bottom line
Posted Nov 25, 2011 05:46:49 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Football fans are counting down the hours until Grey Cup and thousands of them are from out of town, which means it’s sure to be a great weekend for businesses downtown.
Walt Judas with Tourism Vancouver says thanks to the Grey Cup there are only a few hotels available this weekend.
“It’s a busy weekend for us, no question,” he says. “The last time the Grey Cup was here in 2005, about 40 per cent of attendees were from out-of-town. They spent on average about $1,500 during their trip.”
Judas says there is a wide range of tourists here for the game and it’s not just hotels, but taxis, restaurants and attractions that are seeing a big boost.
“People are here from right across the country, with even a few from the States, but with the Lions being the ‘favoured’ team, we are seeing a lot of people from within the province as well.”
A Grey Cup tradition continued last night when some tourists from the Calgary contingent rode a horse into the lobby of the Holiday Inn downtown.
Suzanne Allemier with the hotel says the stunt was all in good fun.
“The horse’s name was Ellie-May, she was beautifully well-behaved, fabulous equine manners,” Allemier says. “She didn’t leave any ‘presents’ behind, and she was very calm and very friendly and a wonderful ambassador for Calgary.”
The tradition dates back to 1948 when a group of Calgarians rode a horse into the Royal York Hotel in Toronto.
