The 2024 Alberta Winter Games are just one month away and athletes and coaches aren’t the only ones planning on taking advantage of the boost in population.
According to the AWG, around 2,000 athletes and coaches will call the city home in February, and Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton says the city is anticipating an economic boost as a result.
“Any time you host an event of that magnitude there is economic spinoff,” she says.
Mayor Clayton says plans are in place to conduct a Sport Tourism Economic Impact Analysis during and after the games to examine the effect of the event on the city’s business sector.
“That measures the impact that has to your community during a period of time, not only during the time where the attendees, the athletes, the parents are in our city but leading up to it because there’s obviously the acquisition of additional food, additional needs for hosting the games, so there is an overall economic impact,” she says.
Clayton adds that the business sector in Grande Prairie makes significant contributions to events like the AWG because of their role as “ambassadors” in the community.
“These ambassadors within our retail and hospitality sector are essential to the success of games like this so I know our business community, our hospitality sector will embrace the opportunity just as much as the athletes and the coaches.”
The Mayor emphasizes the importance of service in a host city, saying she knows business owners will embrace the opportunity to be the “great hosts they are” during the games.
