'New dollars to our community': How summer events are impacting Saskatchewan’s economy

As summer events draw crowds of people together again, Saskatchewan’s economy is feeling the benefit.

This year’s Queen City Exhibition (QCX) broke all previous attendance records with 278,306 people walking through the gates.

The Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL) said the fair carried a $12.8 million economic impact.

“Any time you bring new dollars to our community such as the ride operators, the food operators and folks from rural Saskatchewan or western Canada that come to join, that drives hotel nights, restaurant nights and bar nights which has a significant impact on our visitor economy,” Tim Reid, the CEO and president of REAL, said.

Reid said organizers focused on a few things to make this year’s fair a bigger success, including investing in higher quality entertainment. The Jason Derulo concert drew the largest crowd ever for a Queen City Ex show.

“We saw airport numbers go up because people were flying in to watch Jason Derulo. We saw travel numbers go up because people were coming here for the rodeo,” Reid said.

“When we do events that draw a market beyond Regina, that means that it helps our economy.”

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During the same weekend as the Queen City Ex, the Regina Folk Festival was taking place in Victoria Park.

Final attendance numbers aren’t calculated yet but Amber Goodwyn, the festival’s artistic director, said the turn out was “amazing.”

“People came out. People really missed this festival for three years,” Goodwyn said. “The festival this year was on par with previous festivals.”

Goodwyn said the festival provides a boost to a number of sectors of the local economy.

“We’ve got hundreds of volunteers, stage technicians, crews, suppliers, restaurants, all the companies that build the infrastructure,” she explained.

“It’s really important, especially for the entertainment industry aspect who were on pause for essentially three years. People are just so happy to get back to work.”

PROVINCIAL TOURISM RAMPING UP

According to Tourism Saskatchewan, the province is rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re continuing to come back from 2020 especially, but last year we saw a small recovery and this year we’re seeing even stronger growth,” Jonathan Potts, the CEO of Tourism Saskatchewan, said.

“Some parts of the industry are seeing really strong numbers, even stronger than pre-pandemic. Others are still trying to catch up to where they were before.”

Hotel occupancy is one area where things are climbing.

“In 2019, our hotel occupancy in the summer was in the 60-65 per cent range. We’re actually, in many parts of the province, doing better than that right now,” Potts said.

Camping numbers are down slightly from last year, but remain strong, according to Potts.

Meanwhile, summer events have been hit or miss for drawing people in.

“It’s been quite uneven,” Potts said. He added that while Queen City Ex saw a record breaking year, not all events have had the same turn out.

“Some other events, they’ve seen a little softer numbers than they would historically but it’s the first full year back for them so they’re rebuilding and it’s great to see them back and generating revenue again.”

Tourism Saskatchewan said American hunters and anglers are starting to return again, providing a boost in cash flow.

“It’s such an important part of the economy, particularly in places like northern Saskatchewan, so it’s just beneficial for a lot of people to see those American visitors come back because they do spend a lot of money,” Potts said.