The return of international-calibre sporting events to the metropolis should provide economic spinoffs of $29 million to the City this year, estimates Tourisme Montréal, which is however not as much as in 2019, before the pandemic.
Like many other sectors, that of high-level sports competitions has suffered greatly from the pandemic since many events have been canceled or presented to a reduced crowd in 2020 and 2021. But these events are beginning a comeback in the metropolis. in the summer of 2022.
Montreal is hosting 16 world-class sporting events in 2022, many of which take place during the summer. The Formula 1 Grand Prix, the National Bank Tennis Open, back with full stands, or the Triathlon World Championships, newly held in Montreal in June, are among them.
But the metropolis has not regained its sporting vigor of yesteryear, at least not for the moment. “We were really on an exponential curve in 2019,” notes Manuela Goya, vice-president of destination development and public affairs at Tourisme Montréal. The organization estimates that the economic impact of sporting events in 2019 was more than $50 million for the City, compared to forecasts of $29 million for this year. “For 2022, we have done our best to find new events, but also and above all to bring back the old ones, because when we lose them, our turn is over,” she said.
The Sports Department of the City of Montreal received 71 requests for financial support for sporting events in 2019. “For 2022, we estimate the number of requests at 40”, indicated to the To have to a city publicist, Gonzalo Nunez.
Organizers of major sporting events are looking to the post-pandemic future with undeniable enthusiasm. “Everything indicates that it’s going to be a really great tournament. We are already at 75% of our ticket sales target,” says the director of the National Bank Open tennis court, Eugène Lapierre, with satisfaction.
Canceled in 2020, the tournament did take place last year, but with a maximum capacity of 5,000 spectators. The IGA stadium, where the competition is presented, can accommodate more than 11,000 people.
For the organization, the pandemic years have been tough. “By canceling the tournament in 2020, we lost $10 million, we had to lay off 40% of our staff,” says Mr. Lapierre.
The president and general manager of the Beneva marathon in Montreal, Sébastien Arsenault, also feels feverish, although aware of the challenges inherent in this edition, after two successive years of cancellation. “There are an awful lot of tiles falling left and right as a result of the pandemic. There are supply problems,” he explains, citing for example the case of a marathon held in Western Canada for which the medals were not received on time this year.
Mr. Arsenault is hopeful that the marathon will return to pre-COVID-19 scale, the event having already welcomed “nearly 36,000 runners at the end of the 2010s”, but he remains lucid. “We see the trend in Canada and, this year, registrations are a little later. »
Visa issues
While the return to pre-pandemic life has already been made on several levels in society, Manuela Goya notes, however, that there are still delays which, according to her, are detrimental to the holding of large-scale sporting events. “We have problems with the issuance of visas, which is really very long and which means that certain athletes or certain participants cannot come to Montreal,” she laments.
“These problems can turn into 1,000 fewer people, for example, which means 1,000 fewer hotel rooms, so less revenue for Montreal,” she notes. In the long run, M.me Goya believes that “it could affect the reputation of Montreal, since the perception is quickly made”.
She adds that behind the scenes, the fights are fierce and long-term to obtain a major sporting event: “We are in competition with big cities like Paris, Dallas or Chicago. Often, for a major sporting event, we start working five or six years in advance. »
Despite everything, the air seems to be optimistic for the organizers of Montreal sporting events, who are planning a return to full stands this summer.