{"id":568123,"date":"2026-03-29T06:46:29","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T06:46:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/568123\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T06:46:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T06:46:29","slug":"fifa-releases-thousands-of-vancouver-hotel-rooms-ahead-of-2026-world-cup-but-prices-may-not-drop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/568123\/","title":{"rendered":"FIFA releases thousands of Vancouver hotel rooms ahead of 2026 World Cup, but prices may not drop"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

Listen to this article<\/p>\n

Estimated 4 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n

Thousands of hotel rooms have been released back into Vancouver\u2019s inventory ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but those working in the tourism industry say visitors shouldn\u2019t expect prices to drop.<\/p>\n

The B.C. Hotel Association says FIFA has cancelled between 70 and 80 per cent of the rooms it had initially booked in downtown Vancouver, which is about 15,000 nightly room reservations during the World Cup tournament between June 11 and July 19.<\/p>\n

Paul Hawes, president and CEO of the association, says it\u2019s standard practice for major events to reserve a block of hotel rooms for staff and media, but in this case the scale of the release is notable.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt certainly does seem high,\u201d he said, adding that similar cancellations are happening across all 16 host cities, including Toronto.<\/p>\n

WATCH | FIFA cancels thousands of Vancouver hotel room bookings:\"\"<\/p>\n

FIFA cancels thousands of Vancouver hotel room bookings<\/p>\n

The B.C. Hotel Association says FIFA organizers have cancelled between 70 and 80 per cent of the hotel rooms they booked in the 16 cities hosting World Cup games. In Vancouver alone, about 15,000 nightly room bookings have been cancelled. As the CBC’s Janella Hamilton reports, while Vancouver’s mayor said the World Cup would be a huge payout for the city, some tour operators are skeptical.<\/p>\n

Regardless, Hawes says Vancouver remains one of the stronger-performing destinations among them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe heard from the FIFA \u2026 this week that Vancouver is the number two performing city with New York being first,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He says that ranking is based on hotel bookings, travel demand and ticket sales.<\/p>\n

Soccer fans headed to Vancouver for the tournament this summer have reported<\/a> finding limited or expensive options for hotels or rental rooms in the city.<\/p>\n

WATCH | Vancouver faces hotel shortage ahead of World Cup:\"\"<\/p>\n

Vancouver faces hotel shortage ahead of World Cup<\/p>\n

Soccer fans headed to Vancouver for the FIFA World Cup this summer are finding limited options for hotels or rentals \u2014 and what is available comes with a high price tag. <\/p>\n

While there are going to be thousands of rooms available to the public across many downtown hotels, Hawes says the shift is unlikely to affect pricing.<\/p>\n

He says hotel occupancy in Vancouver is estimated to be around 90 per cent during the World Cup period, which according to him, is in line with a typical busy summer. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe demand continues to be high \u2026 there’s no reason to change the pricing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The province has estimated about 350,000 visitors could come to Vancouver during the tournament.<\/p>\n

Mixed outlook for tourism operators<\/p>\n

Maria Wihak, a product manager with West Trek Tours, says her company has put a lot of work into creating affordable World Cup travel packages to make the event more accessible.<\/p>\n

Discover Canada Tours, West Trek\u2019s parent company, has partnered with CSM Travel to secure a block of accommodations at Simon Fraser University, starting at about $250 per night, to create a dedicated “fan village.”<\/p>\n

\"AA dorm room at Simon Fraser University. West Trek Tours has secured a block of accommodations at the university and are offering rooms for about $250 as part of their World Cup package. (West Trek Tours)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives them a fan experience and a shared community atmosphere where they can meet other fans and watch games together,\u201d said Wihak.<\/p>\n

But so far, sales have been slower than expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve currently sold around 20 per cent of our inventory, which is a bit concerning,\u201d Wihak said. \u201cWe were definitely hoping that we\u2019d have sold up to 50 per cent or more by now.\u201d<\/p>\n

She says her business is relying heavily on World Cup-related travel to offset a drop in regular summer visitors, who are avoiding the city during the tournament period.<\/p>\n

A different kind of World Cup<\/p>\n

When it was announced Vancouver would be hosting some tournament games, Mayor Ken Sim compared it to being equivalent to hosting 30-40 Super Bowls within a month.<\/p>\n

Mihak says it seems the tournament\u2019s impact was a bit over-hyped.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I also do feel like in the long run, it’s going to be amazing for Vancouver to have the world’s eyes on our city,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Hawes says the scale and structure of the 2026 tournament makes this World Cup different from any other before.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the first time that it\u2019s been split between three countries,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That means visitors and bookings are spread across multiple destinations, rather than concentrated in a single country.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like another major event in town, like a Taylor Swift concert or a large conference,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Demand expected to build closer to games<\/p>\n

Some tourism officials say they are hopeful demand could increase as the tournament approaches.<\/p>\n

Royce Chwin, president and CEO of Destination Vancouver, says booking patterns have shifted as travellers prefer to wait longer to finalize plans.<\/p>\n

\u201cBooking behaviour is later and later,\u201d he said. \u201cWe think the demand is going to continue to grow the closer we get in and the more hype the world cup offers up in terms of who’s coming here we still have a team to decide.\u201d<\/p>\n

B.C. Place will host Canada’s men’s national soccer team on June 18 against Qatar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 4 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":500889,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194298],"tags":[49,48,55],"class_list":["post-568123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-vancouver","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-vancouver"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=568123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/568123\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/500889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=568123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=568123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=568123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}