BC Place, Vancouver Horizon
SPORT HOSTING VANCOUVER NAMED CANADIAN SPORT TOURISM ALLIANCE’S 2017 SPORT TOURISM ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR
March 21st, 2017
Sport Hosting Vancouver has been named the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance’s (CSTA) 2017 Sport Tourism Organization of the Year. The honour was announced on Tuesday, March 21 during the 11th PRESTIGE Awards gala luncheon at the CSTA’s annual Sport Events Congress in Ottawa.
Vancouver had a record-breaking tourism year in 2016 with over 10 million visitors to the city. Sport Hosting Vancouver played a key role by helping to secure large events including the 2016 HSBC Canada Sevens Vancouver at BC Place Stadium which attracted 60,000 people. The 2017 edition grew to over76,000 spectators, a 26% increase in ticket sales in just one year.
The Sport Hosting Vancouver partnership is proud to be recognized for the successes of 2016. The banner year included the aforementioned inaugural HSBC Canada Sevens Vancouver, numerous Canada Soccer FIFA World Cup Qualifying Matches, the Canadian Little League Championships and the Americas Masters Games. The formalization of the Sport Hosting Vancouver Partnership and creation of the Sport Tourism Development Fund have given Vancouver a competitive advantage in the sport tourism arena.
The Sport Hosting Vancouver partnership works to unite all interests of sport hosting in Vancouver, providing a responsive and streamlined approach to attracting major events and making them successful on every level. Recently announced event acquisitions - including the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship, 2018 Canadian Tire National Skating Championship and the 2018 ISU Grand Prix Final - show the strength in Sport Hosting Vancouver’s bid process and the reputation of our world-class sporting facilities and sport tourism community. These future major event confirmations will drive an estimated $64 million in economic impact.
About Sport Hosting Vancouver
Sport Hosting Vancouver is a partnership between the City of Vancouver, the Vancouver Hotel Destination Association, Tourism Vancouver, the BC Pavilion Corporation (operating BC Place Stadium and the Convention Centre) and the University of British Columbia. We attract, develop, and support world-class sport events in Vancouver through great partnerships, enthusiastic guidance and an innovative approach.
Keep up to date with the world of sport hosting in Vancouver – connect with us on Twitter and Facebook (@SportHostingVan) and visit our website at sporthostingvancouver.ca
Media Contacts:
Taunya Geelhoed
Assistant Manager, Sport Hosting Vancouver –
City of Vancouver
Taunya.geelhoed@vancouver.ca |604.787.4976
Amber Sessions
Manager, Communications – Tourism Vancouver
asessions@tourismvancouver.com |604.631.2870