Study conducted by Sport Tourism Canada on June 2022 event

November 24, 2022: (OTTAWA, ON) ….. The Wasa Lake Triathlon has been held annually since 1993. The most recent edition of the event took place the 2^nd weekend in June in 2022, and Sport Tourism Canada (STC) studiedthe economic activity it generated. A popular weekend for individuals and families of ages, several events occur throughout the weekend including the Wasa Warrior/Sprint Triathlon/Sprint Duathlon and Standard Triathlon/Aquabike Trikids events.

The study was commissioned by Cranbrook Tourism in partnership with the event organizer, RM Events. The report outlines that Cranbrook’s economy benefited from just over $407,000 in economic activity as a result of the successful hosting of the Wasa Lake Triathlon. The study also indicated nearly half a million dollars ($470,000) in economic impact for the province of British Columbia. 

The event drew 950 visitors from the western part of Canada, largely from British Columbia but with a strong contingent from Alberta, and others from Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Data gathered via a survey included age, place of residence, and days attended, while out-of-town respondents answered questions about their length of stay, money spent in various categories and the importance of this event in deciding to travel to Cranbrook. The average visitor spent nearly 3 days in the area and the majority were participants.

Using the data collected, the STC team analyzed the visitor information gathered through the survey responses. The combined spending from out-of-town visitors, participants, media, and VIPs was then added to the capital and event operational expenditures to produce an overall determination of the expenditures associated with the event. When all of this data and information was combined, STC used the STEAMPRO economic impact assessment model  to produce the detailed report with the economic impact assessment in terms of total output, GDP, wages and salaries, employment and taxes.   

“We were pleased to work with Cranbrook Tourism and RM Events to provide this report,” said Derek Mager, Sport Tourism Canada’s Economic Impact Consultant. “It’s valuable information for them to use in future planning and marketing activities.”  

“The triathlon has been a long running event and while we know it is an important driver, bringing visitors to our area, we felt it was important to dig deeper to understand its impact,” said Kristy Jahn-Smith, Executive Director of Cranbrook Tourism. “The STEAMPRO assessment with STC has helped us to do just that.”

Summary of Key Findings:  

• $339, 965 of initial expenditures 

• $469,993 overall economic activity in the province 
• 950 out-of-town visitors to Cranbrook area
• $252,511 of visitor spending 
• $133,425 wages and salaries supported locally 
• 2.7 local jobs in Cranbrook supported by the event 

• $241,495 boost to provincial GDP 
• $107,8267 taxes supported across Canada  

Participants and spectators alike took in the beautiful setting near Cranbrook, BC, enjoyed the mountain views, and all that Wasa Lake Provincial Park and the local area offered. Many of the people surveyed (62.3%) indicated they used this event as a vacation and extended their stay in the area. When asked if they would visit the area again, the overwhelming response was either somewhat or very likely to do so. Activities that visitors participated in while in the area included dining at local restaurants, visiting beaches and parks, as well as cycling, hiking and lake activities.

Read the Full Report.

About STEAMPRO   

This economic impact model was developed by STC in partnership with the Canadian Tourism Research Institute (CTRI) at The Conference Board of Canada. The CTRI serves the travel and tourism industry in providing sound economic forecasts and models with timely and insightful interpretation of data specifically relevant to travel. The model makes use of the most current and detailed input-output tables and multipliers available from Statistics Canada and leverages the credibility and robustness of sector specific tax data available from Statistics Canada’s Government Revenues Attributable to Tourism (GRAT) report.   

The STEAMPRO model been used since 2002 on over 300 EI assessments from small-town events to major multi-sport and international games and contains 100% Canadian data to directly reflect what took place at the specific event in the specific Canadian host community. It is considered the ‘gold standard’ in the field of economic impact assessment, providing credible and Canadian economic impact results.  

About Sport Tourism Canada (STC)  

Sport Tourism Canada is a non-governmental, member-based, capacity-building organization that promotes sport tourism as a grassroots economic development initiative at the community level. STC services over 500 members across Canada, including 130 municipalities, 300 national and provincial sport, multi-sport and major games organizations and a variety of other sport and tourism industry partners. Sport tourism is the fastest growing the tourism industry sector in Canada with over $7.4 billion in annual spending by domestic and international visitors and is central to local and regional economic recovery from COVID-19.  

Media Inquiries  

Kristy Jahn-Smith

Executive Director

Cranbrook Tourism

T: 250-464-1465

E: kristy@cranbrooktourism.com

Derek Mager,

Economic Impact Consultant   

Sport Tourism Canada   

T: 604-787-3605     E: Derek@thedatajungle.com