8 years ago
2
Pan Am Games already a bonanza for Toronto hotels, pubs
Downtown reaps rewards of sporting event on first weekend, report finds
Continue Reading http://www.thestar.com
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Interesting to note given all of the negativity leading up to (and into the first weekend of) the event, as well as all the previous articles regarding empty hotels.
I wonder if all of the 11.93% increase in spending compare to last year can be attributed to the games. Lots of people go to Toronto as part of their summer vacation, and I could see the number of visitors increasing this year due to other factors as well, say for example the lower value of the dollar.
Even if that 12-ish% increase in spending is directly attributable to the games I have to wonder if it is worth the multi-billion dollar investment that was made. I realize that there will be a "games legacy" in terms of new sporting facilities in the GTA, but is that really enough? Surely $2 - $3 billion could have been used spent more effectively on education, health care, or even tax cuts to stimulate growth.