Preparations for FIFA World Cup watch parties and events are ramping up across British Columbia ahead of the tournament’s June 11 kickoff, but a new poll suggests enthusiasm is low in host city Vancouver.
The World Cup kicks off tomorrow with matches scheduled in cities across North America.
Vancouver is set to host seven matches at BC Place stadium, including Canada vs. Qatar on June 18 and Canada vs. Switzerland on June 24.
Toronto is the only other Canadian host city, with six matches scheduled at Toronto Stadium at Exhibition Place.
An Angus Reid poll published this week found 72 per cent of Vancouver residents polled said the public costs of hosting are not worth the disruption.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates the combined costs across all levels of government for the Canadian FIFA matches will exceed $1 billion, or $82 million per match.
British Columbia’s latest projections peg the cost to host seven games in Vancouver at between $685 million and $729 million. The province estimates the net cost after revenue and other offsets are accounted for would be up to $114 million.
B.C. also expects the economic impact of the World Cup to extend several years beyond the tournament.
Modelling from BC Stats and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sports said one million additional visitors are expected to visit B.C. over the next five years. That includes 196,000 additional visitors during this year’s events.
The province said it expects to see more than a $1 billion increase in revenue to the tourism sector, while provincial GDP is also expected to increase by over $1 billion.
The poll found nearly 60 per cent of Vancouver residents did not trust the provincial or municipal governments to be transparent about the total cost of hosting the matches.
It also found less than half of Vancouver residents said they were interested in following the tournament. Roughly one quarter in Metro Vancouver said they had tried or would try to get tickets.
Meanwhile, more than three-quarters said cancelling local festivals to accommodate the games is unacceptable. FIFA’s terms for hosting the matches require that “substantial cultural events” are barred from taking place on dates around the events.
More than two-thirds of residents polled said the event creates too much disruption for people who live and work there.
The city is temporarily closing some roads around the downtown stadium to non-local traffic through the end of July. It says local businesses can expect increased foot traffic from fans seeking food, souvenirs and places to watch the matches.
However, another poll by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) suggests small businesses are feeling pessimistic about a potential sales boost due to the events.
CFIB said 72 per cent of its members in Vancouver and Toronto expect the tournament to have no impact on revenue. Just nine per cent said they expected to see a boost from the events.
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