NEWS RELEASES - 2006 | 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 22, 2007

Whistler festival brings significant benefit to local and provincial economies

Whistler, B.C. – Last year, the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival, held annually in Whistler, generated a total of $37.7 million in economic activity for the Province of British Columbia, according to a report commissioned by Tourism Whistler and Whistler Blackcomb.

The TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival Economic Impact Assessment found that the spending of visitors to the Festival, in combination with the operational expenditures associated with hosting the event, totaled more than $15.7 million for Whistler. In turn, this spending generated an estimated $37.7 million in economic activity for the Province of British Columbia, including nearly $21.3 million for Whistler.
 
The report estimates that 28,118 hotel room nights were sold during the festival, of which 86 per cent were sold to TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival attendees.
 
“The TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival has been one of the resort’s most successful events in attracting visitors and celebrating community spirit,” says Arlene Schieven, Vice President of Marketing for Tourism Whistler. “We’ve always known the festival was important to Whistler, but as this report demonstrates, the benefits stretch well beyond Whistler’s peaks to the rest of the province as well. We are committed to ensuring Whistler’s spring event remains at the centre of the snowsports world.”
 
The 11th annual TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival was held April 14-23, 2006. Widely known as Whistler’s famous spring celebration of the art, culture and music of winter sport, the event featured a free outdoor concert series, art and photography showcases and competitions, the 72-hour Avid Filmmaker Showdown, the 9th annual Pro Photographer Showdown and a series of ski and snowboard events culminating in the PlayStation Big Air event in Whistler Village with an estimated 18,000 people in attendance. The 10-day festival hosted more than 50 free concerts, 164 live musical performances, 240 athletes, 350 media and the work of more than 700 artists and performers.
 
The TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival has proven itself as a model for festival success, inspiring imitators around the globe. “It’s gratifying to see what a substantial injection the festival makes to the local economy,” said Managing Director Sue Eckersley, “because its success is fuelled by the cumulative efforts of so many contributors and key partners, not to mention the creative energy of the entire community.”  The team is already busy preparing for this year’s festival, April 13-22, 2007, which promises to be the ultimate wrap party to an amazing winter.
 
Information for the report was collected through the administration of a self-completion survey at kiosks located throughout the event. Questions were asked regarding the overall composition of the visitor party, length of stay, total spending while in Whistler, as well as overall importance of the festival in the traveller’s decision to come to Whistler.
 
The report was authored by Paradigm Consulting Group using the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance’s Sport Tourism Economic Assessment Model.
 
The TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival is produced by Watermark Communications, an experienced Whistler sports and entertainment marketing company, and presented in partnership with Festival owners Tourism Whistler and Whistler Blackcomb. Celebrating its twelfth year as the largest annual winter sports and music festival in North America, the TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival is a high-octane 10 day and night showcase of the best of snowsports, music, arts and mountain life.  Featuring major professional ski and snowboarding competitions, the largest free outdoor concert series in Canada, the legendary Pro Photographer and Filmmaker Showdowns, and many more unique art and cultural showcases, the Festival is the ultimate wrap party.  Please visit whistler2007.com for details on the 2007 TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival, to be held April 13-22, 2007.
 
 
Whistler is a year-round leisure and meeting destination located 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and is site of the alpine, nordic, sliding and Paralympic venues for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Whistler has a range of accommodations totalling 3,200 hotel rooms, and more than 5,000 other tourist accommodation units including condos, B&Bs and chalets. Whistler offers a wide selection of restaurants, bars, spas, boutiques, galleries and activities ranging from world-renowned skiing and snowboarding, mountain biking and golf, to hiking, rock climbing, and watersports. Whistler Blackcomb mountains feature 3,036 hectares (8,171 acres) of terrain and receives an average of 9.14 metres (30 feet) of snow per year. The Resort Municipality of Whistler is home to a diverse community of more than 10,000 permanent residents.

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Whistler publication-ready photographs can be downloaded at mediaroom.tourismwhistler.com

Media contacts:
Breton Murphy – Community & Media Relations Manager
Tourism Whistler
Telephone: 604-935-3356
E-mail: bmurphy@tourismwhistler.com
Website: tourismwhistler.com

Public Relations
Whistler Blackcomb
Telephone: 604-938-7668
E-mail: publicrelations@intrawest.com
Website: whistlerblackcomb.com

Media Inquiries:
Lisa Richardson
Communications Manager

Watermark Communications Inc.
10-1006 Lynham Road
Whistler, BC
V0N 1B1
whistler2007.com
p. 604.938.3399 ext 21
f. 604 938 3398
lrichardson@watermarkinc.ca