G7 expected to boost economy and fill hotels in Calgary and mountain towns

The Calgary region is preparing for a surge in visitors ahead of next month's G7 leaders' summit in Kananaskis, Alta., and hotel rooms are already nearly impossible to find.

The summit, which is scheduled to run from June 15 to 17, is expected to draw thousands of delegates, journalists and security personnel to the region. Across the region, 10,000 hotel room bookings are anticipated.

While the summit itself will be held in Kananaskis, a wilderness recreational area west of Calgary, the city itself will play host to much of the support infrastructure.

"Armed and diplomatic services have actually already started arriving in Calgary for preliminary work," said Sol Zia, executive director of the Calgary Hotel Association. "We're expecting about 2,500 various levels of services … that will be staying in Calgary and region for [an] extended period."

Zia said that will add up to an estimated 45,000 hotel room nights, bringing with it a sizeable and unexpected boost for the city's accommodation sector.

"We estimate almost $13 million in accommodations revenue just related to the G7 for June," he said, adding the amount of security services coming into Calgary is about 2½ times higher than initially planned.

But with several major conferences scheduled in the same month, including the Global Energy Show and the Rotary International Convention, finding a room in Calgary this June will be challenging.

Given the level of competition, some have turned to alternative options, including university residences, to house visitors. Mount Royal University is already hosting members of the Canadian Armed Forces, who began arriving in mid-May.

"Beginning May 15 until June 30, uniformed Canadian Armed Forces personnel will stay in campus residences as part of the integrated security group preparing for the summit that will include leaders from the G7 forum of seven of the world's most advanced economies," reads a message sent from the university to employees and students.

The University of Calgary will also provide accommodation in its campus residence buildings.

"Personnel will include members of law enforcement and charter bus personnel. The University of Calgary regularly uses its residence during summer months in response to community needs," reads a statement from the university.

Tourism officials in Canmore and Kananaskis say they're hearing positive news as well, with hotels full and restaurants reporting above-average bookings for this time of year.

"We're hearing many positive anecdotal reports from local businesses. Hotels are at full capacity and restaurants are seeing higher-than-usual bookings for what the quieter shoulder season is typically," said Rachel Ludwig, CEO of Tourism Canmore Kananaskis, in a statement.

"We do want to reinforce that, outside the designated controlled access zone, Canmore and Kananaskis remain open for business."

Banff, located west of Kananaskis, is also expecting an uptick in activity. However, the impact is expected to be "minimal," a town statement said, given that the mountain town regularly attracts thousands of people each day in the summer.

"Visitors with bookings in Banff are encouraged to keep [their] plans as it will be business as usual," a town statement said, adding it urged everyone to take transit and plan ahead.

'It's a boost,' says chamber CEO

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce estimates the summit could generate somewhere in the neighbourhood of $190 million for the local economy and $240 million for Alberta as a whole.

"This is a huge lift to the Calgary region," said Deborah Yedlin, Calgary Chamber president and CEO.

"When you think about the fact that the backdrop for all the news conferences and all the coverage is going to be the Rocky Mountains and Banff, this is the best possible promotion for tourism that you could ask for. Everybody's here."

Yedlin said the summit, along with other large-scale events happening this summer, will help to create strong momentum for local business.

"I think you're going to see a big uplift in terms of accommodation, from transportation, anything hospitality, retail, local businesses, small businesses," she said.

"It's a boost to the economy. There's no two ways about it."

Amber Edgerton, press secretary for Andrew Boitchenko, the Alberta minister of tourism and sport, wrote in a statement that hosting the G7 summit is a "fantastic opportunity" to showcase Kananaskis and Alberta as a whole.

"The event is expected to raise the region's international profile, help support local businesses, and bring delegates, media, and support teams to the region, each of which will benefit the local economy," Edgerton wrote. 

Leaders from the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy and Canada, as well as the European Union, will attend this year's summit.