Vancouver will run out of hotel rooms by 2026, says tourism organization
The provincial economy could lose billions of dollars over the next few decades if nothing is done to address a shortage of hotel rooms in the Greater Vancouver area , according to an economic analysis published by Destination Vancouver.
The organization that promotes tourism in the region estimates that the city of Vancouver will run out of hotel rooms by 2026 and that the Greater Vancouver area will run out by 2028.
According to the analysis released on Monday, 20,000 rooms, 10,000 of them in Vancouver alone, would be needed to meet on-demand in Greater Vancouver by 2050.
This is critical, Destination Vancouver President and CEO Royce Chwin said in a statement, because over the next few years we will be hosting the Laver Tennis Cup, Invictus Games, Gray Cup and more. x27;in 2026 we will be among the hosts of one of the greatest sporting events in the world, the FIFA Soccer World Cup.
The shortage of hotel rooms announcement comes as no surprise to BC Tourism Minister Lana Popham.
She said Monday that she is very aware of the problem and that it is one of the first issues which she discussed with her federal counterpart after being appointed Minister of Tourism in December 2022.
I don't think there is a quick fix. Minister Popham believes that the federal government, First Nations and municipal leaders must work together to develop a strategy, particularly in view of the FIFA World Cup of Soccer.
