How much does the G7 benefit host communities in the long-term?

CBC

15 hours ago

Hotel rooms in Calgary and the Bow Valley are filling up as delegates, journalists and security personnel arrive for the G7 in Kananaskis, which starts Sunday.
The summit could generate around $240 million for Alberta's economy, according to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, with a long-term boost to tourism expected as potential visitors around the world get a look at the area's natural beauty.
But the costs of hosting a summit are massive, and all costs are covered by the host country.
The last time Kananaskis hosted the summit, its price tag was estimated at $300 million. Canada last hosted the summit in La Malbaie, Que., in 2018, when it budgeted $600 million.
"When we talk about economic benefits, we have to talk about economic costs as well," said Frédéric Dimanche, a professor in the department of hospitality and tourism management at Toronto Metropolitan University, on CBC Calgary's The Homestretch Thursday.
Dimanche said Kananaskis and the surrounding area already attracts visitors from around the world, and he's not sure this year's summit will provide the long-lasting boost some are expecting.
"Does anyone remember when the last G7 took place and where it took place?" he said.
"We have to be very careful when we say that having an event like this is going to lead to a big increase in visitation."
Some tourism executives who worked on past summits said there are benefits, but puzzling out the long-term impacts isn't straightforward.
'Difficult to calculate' economic impact in Charlevoix, Que.
Hosting the 2018 G7 made Charlevoix, Que., "more visible" on the international stage, according to the general manager of Tourism Charlevoix, Mitchell Dion.
"At one point you have everybody in the world watching this event," he said.
"It was a way for us to connect with media [outlets] and organize press tours, media tours of the region, to talk, yes, about the political event, but also about the region."
But the community has not been able to quantify the economic benefits of that exposure, Dion added.
"It's really difficult to calculate even years after. But of course there [were] really some short-term impacts."
Lodging tax revenue increased due to the summit, and Dion said Charlevoix locals also benefited from improvements to infrastructure — such as roads and cell towers.
Cornwall, U.K., saw benefits, no huge tourism boom
Malcolm Bell was the chief executive of Visit Cornwall when the coastal English county hosted the summit in 2021.
He said the attention surrounding the summit didn't spark a massive tourism boom, but added it did allow the area to show off its natural beauty.
"We were able to expose the [world] and journalists to the sort of natural cliffs and sandy beaches," said Bell.
"We had this sort of worldwide coverage that there was this beautiful place ... called Cornwall."
Bell added if Cornwall had to pay for the kind of publicity it received from hosting the G7, it would have cost about $111 million Cdn.
After the summit, more travel companies from the U.S., Canada, Germany and Italy added Cornwall to their U.K. tour itineraries, he said, especially those designed to accommodate tourists who've already visited the U.K. and seen the famous attractions.
"That's been the big growth area," said Bell. "We got a lot more Italians, lot more Canadians."
He recommends summit hosts snap plenty of photos of world leaders in front of iconic landmarks and use them to inspire tourists to follow in their footsteps.
Canmore, Kananaskis hoping to attract overseas visitors
Tourism Canmore Kananaskis aims to use the summit to improve the area's "brand recognition" around the world.
"We are working very hard to attract more international visitors, especially from the United States, the U.K., Germany and France," said CEO Rachel Ludwig.
"We know that they are staying longer and spending more money. Having that news coverage about the area, hopefully, we'll get that additional boost for years to come."
Hotels in Canmore and Kananaskis were on average 74 per cent full in 2024 — up 11 per cent from 2019 levels — according to Tourism Canmore Kananaskis' 2025 business plan.
But with new accommodation options expected to open in the coming years, Ludwig said the region will have the space to welcome more visitors.
"There's a lot of short-term vacation inventory that will come online in the next few years. So we're definitely ready to grow," she said.