Royal Visit Expected to Give Tourism a Boost

The Royal visit to Canada could result in making the country a top tourist destination long after the newlywed couple says farewell.
Royal Visit Expected to Give Tourism a Boost
6/29/2011
Updated:
10/1/2015

<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/Prince_William_Catherine117290546.jpg" alt="Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visit Victoria Barracks during a medal parade for the 1st Battalion Irish Guards Regiment on June 25, in Windsor, U.K. (Carl Court/Getty Images )" title="Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visit Victoria Barracks during a medal parade for the 1st Battalion Irish Guards Regiment on June 25, in Windsor, U.K. (Carl Court/Getty Images )" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1801749"/></a>
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visit Victoria Barracks during a medal parade for the 1st Battalion Irish Guards Regiment on June 25, in Windsor, U.K. (Carl Court/Getty Images )
The Royal visit to Canada could result in making the country a top tourist destination long after the newlywed couple says farewell.

The Canadian Tourism Commission’s public relations director Gloria Loree says the media hype will attract immediate attention, but the tourism boost will be felt in the long term.

“They’re going to be doing iconic experiences—visiting the North, the East, the West. So the depth of that ultimately leads to raised awareness, and it compels people to book their trips to Canada a lot sooner. That’s definitely an economic boost, when you want to talk about the tourism revenue for Canada,” she says.

The details of the couple’s activities—from eating oysters in PEI to attending the chuckwagon races at the Calgary Stampede—will draw attention to Canada’s diverse attractions, and tourists will want to come and recreate those experiences, Lorree says.

“The fact that this engaging young couple are going to actively participate in experiences across the country will be good for the whole country.”

Besides attending the Stampede, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s itinerary while in Alberta includes a private tour of the University of Calgary, a visit to the ENMAX conservatory at the Calgary Zoo, and attending receptions hosted by both the federal and provincial governments.
The tour will conclude at the Calgary Rotary Challenger Park, where Prince William will do an inspection of the guard with full military honours.

“The fact that world cameras are going to see the kind of hospitality that Albertans are famous for I think plays really well for the entire province, and not just say for the Stampede,” says Lorree

The Calgary Stampede attracts about 1.2 million people every year, with an additional 350,000 at the annual Stampede Parade.

Stampede media relations manager Doug Fraser expects thousands more will flock to the parade to catch a glimpse of the couple, weather permitting.

“It will be quite the spectacle, it truly will,” he says.

Kate and William will travel along the parade route starting from the end, arriving at the start in time to launch the opening ceremonies and watch part of the parade.

Fraser says currently 70 percent of Stampede attendees are from Southern Alberta, and he hopes the royal visit will attract more rodeo fans from other provinces and countries.

“What better promotion can you get for our event—the Calgary Stampede—than to have the royals here?” he says.

“We couldn’t ask for better publicity and we know that the pictures and the images are going to go around the world. ... It’s going to be a huge event in that regard.”

A more traditional rodeo

However, not all rodeo fans are looking forward to Calgary’s famous event, dubbed “the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth.”

In fact some have dropped it in favour of the small-town hospitality of other rodeos such as the Ponoka Stampede, which this year is celebrating its 75th anniversary.

The Ponoka Stampede boasts the largest event rodeo in Canada while retaining a down-home, rural vibe.

Blair Vold, who sits on the board of directors of the Ponoka Stampede, says he expects up to 100,000 people to attend this year and thinks it resonates with people because it’s a “more personal, down to earth, traditional rodeo.”

“We can give free camping and parking, which is a big attraction. And our ticket prices are very, very reasonable for families and for anybody. So the combination of all that makes this so much more attractive—plus we put on a pretty damn good show.”

Rob and Karen Calder from Spruce Grove, Alberta, have attended the Ponoka Stampede for the past 10 years but rarely go to the Calgary Stampede. Even the royal visit was not enough entice them to go this year.

“It’s not a draw because we’ve seen them on TV and that’s about as close as you’re going to get anyway,” says Karen.

“Too many people, fighting crowds all the time,” adds Rob.

The couple said the accessibility, camping, transportation, authentic cowboy culture, and affordable seats that Ponoka offers keep them going loyally every year.

“Everybody’s very friendly,” says Rob.

Norm Suitor from High River, Alberta, has attended the Ponoka Stampede for over 30 years. He stopped going to Calgary due to the expense ($36 - $378 for a ticket to the rodeo), but attends other rodeos across Western Canada during the summer months.

“I used to go [to the Calgary Stampede] for years but quit going for the last couple of years. The price, dollars and cents, it’s just got out of range,” he says.

The Ponoka Stampede runs from June 27 – July 3; the Calgary Stampede starts July 8 and ends July 17.