{"id":716241,"date":"2026-06-05T07:00:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T07:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/716241\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T07:00:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T07:00:25","slug":"strong-start-to-calgarys-tourism-season-leads-to-optimistic-outlook-calgary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/716241\/","title":{"rendered":"Strong start to Calgary\u2019s tourism season leads to optimistic outlook – Calgary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Memories of a great trip are something you can always take with you, but Amin Patani specializes in the physical reminders.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Even on a Thursday afternoon, Patani\u2019s Steven Avenue store, Calgary Souvenir & Gift Shop, is teeming with dozens of visitors.<\/p>\n

\u201cStampede T-shirts, hats, all sorts of cowboy accessories, magnets, keychains. The rest of the year, we sell a lot of mountain stuff,\u201d Patani explained.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the type of store that directly benefits from a booming tourism sector \u2014 and so far in 2026, business has been good in Calgary.<\/p>\n

Tourism Calgary says year-over-year growth visitor spending in the first quarter was up seven per cent, indicating a strong summer season is ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of the data is pointing to the reality that more people are choosing Calgary,\u201d explained Alisha Reynolds, Tourism Calgary\u2019s president and CEO. \u201cAnd when they\u2019re in Calgary, they\u2019re staying longer and spending more.\u201d<\/p>\n

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2025 already presented a tough act to follow, when 10.5 million people visited the city \u2014 generating $3.3 billion in visitor spending.<\/p>\n

Tourism groups from across Canada reported a strong year that year, partly attributed to an increase in domestic travel amid anti-American sentiment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Reynolds says the first three months of the year show that feeling doesn\u2019t seem to be going away, with a four-per cent increase in the first quarter of 2026.<\/p>\n

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Three-quarters of tourists to Calgary in the first quarter were Canadians, according to Reynolds.<\/p>\n

\u201cCalgary ultimately is a destination that people are seeing as a base camp for adventure\u2026 a vibrant arts and culture scene, a growing and vibrant culinary scene,\u201d Reynolds explained.<\/p>\n

As a man heavily involved in that culinary scene, Ernie Tsu says he sees all kinds walk through the doors of his restaurants and other members of the Alberta Hospitality Association.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen an increase in American tourists and a lot of them have been genuinely awesome,\u201d Tsu remarked. \u201cIt\u2019s easy for them, not only because of the exchange of their dollar but how easily accessible it is for them to get over here.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a remarkable 45-per cent increase in recreation and entertainment spending so far compared to 2025, Reynolds says it\u2019s a testament to the businesses that help maintain and expand the city\u2019s vibrancy.<\/p>\n

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And while the city\u2019s tourism crown jewel is still the Calgary Stampede \u2014 now less than a month away<\/a> \u2014 the city also has nearly 70 meetings and conferences scheduled between May and September.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThat shows the investments made into our meeting and conventions spaces and building Calgary into a \u2018Tier 1\u2019 convention destination (that is) bringing a new set of global dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n

International visitor spending also increased by nearly 16 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, including a substantial jump in overseas visitor spending \u2014 up 12 per cent.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re increasingly seeing those business travelers extend their trips, coming a little bit earlier, leaving a little bit later, and spending on sports,\u201d Reynolds said.<\/p>\n

The city will also see 27 major sporting events this summer and in November, the Grey Cup will be presented at McMahon Stadium.<\/p>\n

And while it\u2019s still off in the distance, the construction progress at Scotia Place<\/a> \u2014 the city\u2019s new event centre \u2014 is also reminding Calgarians and visitors the city will be one of the hosts for the upcoming World Cup of Hockey in 2027.<\/p>\n

Patani plans to be there for every visitor until then and well beyond, with souvenirs at the ready.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf somebody\u2019s sitting next door having a drink, they say, \u2018Oh, there\u2019s a souvenir shop, we should go there.’\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t4:22
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNational Tourism Week marked by Calgary\u2019s record visitors and why every Calgarian plays a role in tourism\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Memories of a great trip are something you can always take with you, but Amin Patani specializes in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":716242,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194293],"tags":[49,2798,259381,48,24156,1849,251192],"class_list":["post-716241","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-calgary","tag-ca","tag-calgary","tag-calgary-events","tag-canada","tag-city-of-calgary","tag-consumer","tag-tourism-calgary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716241","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=716241"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/716241\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/716242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=716241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=716241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=716241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}