Toronto and Vancouver are set to get a tourism boost from the World Cup, but one expert says to be wary of rosy projections.
FIFA announced on Sunday the two cities will host a combined total of 13 games, including Toronto hosting Canada’s first ever men’s World Cup match.
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The city says the event is expected to create thousands of jobs, draw more than 300,000 visitors, and that Canada should see a $1.2-billion boost to GDP from the Vancouver and Toronto games combined.
However, costs to taxpayers will also run high, with Toronto estimating in 2022 that costs would be about $300 million and Vancouver that year projecting costs of around $250 million.
Moshe Lander, a senior lecturer in economics at Concordia University, cautions that the projected benefits also don’t factor in the tourists who would already have been in these cities during the busy summer season.
He says both cities are already well-known globally and so he questions how much of a profile boost they may receive from the matches.
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