A new study conducted by Sport Tourism Canada has shown that the 109th Grey Cup and 2022 Grey Cup Festival in Regina generated $68.7 million in economic activity in Canada and added $25.7 million to Saskatchewan’s GDP.
The study shows that the total reported attendance for the six-day festival to be 210,000. One-third of the attendees travelled to Regina from outside of the province for the Grey Cup celebrations. The response from the attendees of the festival was overwhelming popular. Overall experience was scored at 4.6 out of 5, with 94 per cent of those surveyed rating the event as “excellent” or “very good.”
In terms of tourism spending the Grey Cup activities generated $19.6 million.
The event yielded $22.8 million in wages and salaries in Canada through the support of 388 jobs, of which 291 jobs and $16.7 million in wages and salaries were in Saskatchewan.
Volunteers were a big part of the success of the Grey Cup Festival, with over 1,000 planning and event volunteers who invested more than 30,000 hours supporting the planning and delivery of the event.
There was plenty of social media activity during the Grey Cup Festival with more than 17-million online interactions and 12,300 downloads of the Grey Cup Festival app.
In a release, CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie touted the success of the event.
“The power of the Grey Cup in bringing together Canadians from coast to coast to coast never ceases to amaze me. We knew the City of Regina, the province of Saskatchewan and the Roughriders would put on a tremendous event but seeing that vision come to life was truly awe-inspiring. We’re beyond grateful to our passionate fans, Rider Nation, organizers, staff and volunteers; it is their incredible efforts that grew our great game and brought in nearly $70 million nationally to strengthen and support Canadian families and communities.”
Roughriders President & CEO Craig Reynolds.
“We are incredibly proud of the 109th Grey Cup and Festival and everything it brought to the City of Regina and the province of Saskatchewan. Our goal was to create a provincial celebration that provided something for the entire family. Through the hard work of more than 1,000 volunteers and the tremendous support of Rider Nation and CFL fans across the league, we accomplished something truly special not only for those that attended, but for the entire Saskatchewan community.”
Jeremy Harrison, Minister of Trade and Export Development and Minister Responsible for Tourism Saskatchewan.
“The success of the 2022 Grey Cup Festival speaks to Saskatchewan’s renowned hospitality, volunteer spirit and resident pride. More than $25.7 million in GDP is a tremendous boost to the province’s visitor economy. It is also gratifying to see the high satisfaction scores and know that so many guests are eager to return to Regina for another sporting event. The festival is a model for how to host an event that delivers great experiences and leaves visitors wanting more.”
Mayor Sandra Masters
“We are thrilled to see the $21.2 million economic impact that the 109th Grey Cup and 2022 Grey Cup Festival brought to Regina. Hosting major events like the Grey Cup brings people to our city, spurring activity for our local businesses and ultimately enhancing our quality of life and civic pride and presents an opportunity to showcase our identity as a fantastic host city. The City of Regina thanks the CFL, the Grey Cup Host Organizing Committee, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and all the partners, volunteers, and fans for making this memorable event such a huge success.”
With files from the Saskatchewan Roughriders Football Club
