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Anecdotal evidence suggests Olympic boost for Whistler

Surveys designed to provide more detailed picture of Games’ impact
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People are already searching out Whistler websites, phoning booking agents and considering future investment in the resort following the massive media coverage during the Olympic Games.

And pent up demand and great snow mean that bookings for spring break and the Easter break are looking strong.

"When you look at web visits at Games time they spiraled to new heights all the way through the Games," said Barrett Fisher, president of Tourism Whistler.

"During Games times there were a lot of requests that came through Whistler.com saying, 'we saw you on television, could you send us more information.' It showed that there was an interest.

"Post-Games we do believe we will see some pent up demand. We did see that demand in the spring break period and we anticipate the same in the Easter break period.

"We look at the Games as a platform. Then how are we going to use this as a launch pad for looking forward?"

Over the Olympics about 50,000 to 55,000 people were in Whistler each night. For the most part 98 per cent of the available accommodation was booked.

The Paralympic closing ceremony last weekend saw at least 81 per cent of accommodation booked.

It helps that Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains have abundant snow and that parking is once again available.

It isn't clear whether a direct link can be made between hosting the Olympics and getting more bookings in the months following. But, said Fisher, what is clear is that more people around the world now know about Whistler and that may push them toward choosing it over another resort destination.

"I had lots of conversations with people from all over...." said Fiona Famulak, president of the Whistler Chamber of Commerce.

"They were blown away by the beauty of the place.... they said they would like to return with their family and friends.

"...It would certainly be the hope that the exposure Whistler received over the Games translates into years and years of great summer and winter occupancy rates."

Both the chamber and tourism agencies are now doing surveys to gauge more accurately the impact of the Games.

During the Olympic and Paralympic Games the chamber also surveyed businesses in several key sectors to look for trends and information.

"We wanted to take the temperature of the businesses that were going to be front-line serving our Olympic guests during February," said Famulak. "We wanted to understand how business levels were rolling out, what their challenges were, what the positive things were, and so forth."

It was a weekly survey done four times in February.

"...We were able to look at results as they came in every week and if there needed to be communication going out, or if we needed to share some information with our partners to make some operational changes, we were able to do that," said Famulak. "It was almost real time."

Looking back, she said, it is clear that businesses had quite different Olympic experiences depending on where they were located, what they did, and how they adapted.

This was no surprise as former Olympic host cities had been sharing this message for years leading up to 2010, said Famulak.

"But the second lesson is never underestimate the accuracy of the information you receive from your Olympic peers," she said.

"That would certainly be one of my messages to London (Summer Games 2012) and Sochi (Winter Games 2014) - what we are sharing with you is likely going to be very accurate."

The surveys found that Olympic guests tended to stay on the main routes initially.

"They would go shopping, but it was very targeted shopping in terms of Olympic merchandise and so on," said Famulak.

"So they tended not to spread their wings quickly. That came through very clearly in the survey. Whether they were retail or food and beverage those on the Village Stroll experienced an impact on business levels from the very beginning.

"It took the Olympic guest until day four or five to find Main Street. Upper Village is another story again, they didn't really feel business impact at all."

Real estate investment analyst Peter Gorski believes that his sector will see a boom in the next several years, though it may start slowly.

"Certainly the prices on the market for second home owners and people in the free market definitely will (go up)," he said.

But, according to a report he has just produced titled The Olympic Effect: Profit from Whistler's Next Real Estate Boom, the increase in real estate values is not just about the Games. It is a factor of the improved Sea to Sky Highway, the Peak 2 Peak Gondola, the new facilities left behind by the Games, the continued tremendous growth in the population coming to the region, the provincial government's push to double tourism by 2015 and the fact that Whistler is reaching build-out.

While he wouldn't speculate about how much Whistler home prices might go up he said: "... I would say it is going to out-perform the Canadian market as a whole and other resort areas."

The B.C. Government believes the province is already reaping the rewards from its 2010 Olympic and Paralympic business hosting program. It says it now has a dozen partnerships that will create jobs and build a stronger economy.

"Global leaders came here for the 2010 Winter Games, a celebration of excellence watched by more than half the world's population on TV, the Internet or mobile devices," said Iain Black, Minister of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development in a statement.

"This has given B.C. unprecedented international exposure that will take our province's economy to a new level. We are following up on connections made through our business hosting program, which surpassed our highest expectations in showing business visitors the investment advantages inherent in our people, our geography, our industries and our attractive business climate."

Government is also monitoring at least 27 other pending agreements.

The business hosting program involved about 11,000 participants at more than 100 events such as roundtables, tours, receptions and meetings. Business leaders from across North America, Europe and Asia attended, representing industries including airline, automotive, energy, film and entertainment, forestry, information and communications technology, life sciences, manufacturing, mining, pharmaceuticals, tourism and venture capital.