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With two World Cup matches remaining at Vancouver’s BC Place Stadium, the province is touting the economic benefits of hosting the games, but some local businesses say the growth has been uneven.
At a press conference on Granville Island on Monday, British Columbia Tourism Minister Anne Kang said the tournament has brought immediate benefits to bars, restaurants, retailers and communities across the province.
“People are now filling local bars and restaurants, not just in Vancouver, but across British Columbia,” Kang said. “We know that thousands of people are walking around their neighborhoods and using public transport, increasing the foot traffic that retail stores rely on.”
More than 330,000 people attended the FIFA Fan Fest in Vancouver from June 11 to 28, according to the province.
It says businesses across Vancouver are seeing significant increases in sales, especially on match days, with some restaurants and bars reporting sales increases of up to 40 per cent.
Ian Tostenson, president of the BC Restaurant and Catering Association, said he hears the same thing from many restaurants, especially those centered around the Granville Street pedestrian area and fan zones.
“We heard that sales have even doubled,” Tostenson said. “The sheer intensity (of the games) is amazing. It wakes people up and puts them in a good mood… so that was a real boost.”
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However, Tostenson says restaurants outside busy areas have to attract fans with special menus or promotions.
“If you’re on the edge, you have to work harder at it,” he said. “But the business is still there and so many people are moving all over the place.”
Tostenson said some restaurants outside the city center are also accepting customers staying at Airbnbs throughout the region.
People spend time on Granville Street during the World Cup in Vancouver on June 17, 2026. (Ethan Cairns/CBC)
Some businesses are ‘incredibly quiet’
On Granville Island, where a World Cup party was held, some traders said the crowds did not lead to spending at their stores.
Hilary Morris, a local artist who runs Beaver Pond Creative next to the fan zone, said this is usually one of the busiest times of year on Granville Island, but the last few weeks have been “incredibly quiet.”
WATCH | Some Granville Island businesses are reporting reduced demand:
Granville Island businesses report decline despite FIFA World Cup viewing party
Granville Island in Vancouver typically attracts tourists year-round and hosts large World Cup viewing parties that can host up to a thousand soccer fans. But local businesses say they don’t see fans spending money in their stores. Hilary Morris, a local artist who runs Beaver Pond Creative, said it has been “incredibly quiet” over the past few weeks. Lisa Simpson, owner of The Liberty Distillery, said the viewing party did not result in people staying after the games.
“What I didn’t expect was that people who regularly shop on Granville Island would avoid the place like the plague, which it seems to be,” she said.
Hotels report reduced demand
Before the World Cup, industry groups and hotel developers warned that Vancouver could face a shortage of hotel rooms during the tournament.
The British Columbia Hotel Association blamed erroneous “information” about vacancies ahead of the World Cup, giving tourists the false impression that there were no rooms available.
WATCH | Vancouver hotels see reduced demand during FIFA:
The World Cup is not filling hotels in Toronto and Vancouver
Hotel occupancy rates in Toronto and Vancouver are lower than expected during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, raising questions about the tournament’s economic value to Canada as host nation.
Rhian Charette, general manager of Hostelling International Canada’s downtown and Jericho Beach hostels, which cater to budget travelers, says demand has been far below normal.
“Usually at this time of year we find ourselves at 90 to 92 percent,” she said. “We’re really struggling to reach half of that this year.”
Charette said budget travelers may have decided to avoid Vancouver during the tournament because of the high costs.
Bek Shamsiev, general manager of the AZUR Legacy Collection Hotel, said his luxury hotel is also running about 20 to 25 percent behind its normal June occupancy.
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Vancouver hotels are preparing to welcome hundreds of thousands of guests during the World Cup. But now, in the middle of the tournament, some are not seeing the business boom they were promised. We were joined by two hotel managers to talk about their experiences in recent weeks.
Part of the reason, he said, is that the World Cup is held in three countries and 16 cities.
“So the business or volume of business is diluted,” he said.
Kang said the province has heard many soccer fans are behaving differently than expected and are instead staying with friends and family, in RVs or camping.
Asked whether the government was exaggerating the economic impact of the tournament, Kang said hosting the World Cup was part of a long-term tourism strategy and the province expected returns in the coming years.
In the five years following the tournament, British Columbia is expected to receive about a million additional visitors from other provinces and more than $1 billion in additional visitor spending, she said.