Hotels in British Columbia are ready to welcome visitors from across the country and around the world this summer, including the many travellers coming to Vancouver for the FIFA World Cup.
The tournament will bring major global exposure for Vancouver and the province. It will create important periods of activity for hotels, restaurants, attractions, and local businesses. At the same time, it is important to recognise this is a very different World Cup compared to any in history. The tournament spans 16 host destinations across three countries, including two Canadian host cities, with Vancouver hosting seven matches. Current booking data shows a more complex picture than some of the early anticipation surrounding the tournament suggested. Vancouver is not sold out. Hotel demand is uneven. Visitors still have good options across the region.
According to current CoStar forward booking data, June hotel occupancy across the broader Vancouver and Lower Mainland market is pacing about nine per cent behind the same period last year. Downtown Vancouver is seeing a deeper decline, with occupancy pacing about 15 per cent behind. Booking activity itself is only about 1 per cent behind, which suggests travellers are still booking, but closer to arrival.
Despite its global profile, FIFA has not generated the broad hotel demand many expected. Activity remains concentrated around match dates and continues to be shaped by late booking patterns, room block releases, and normal summer travel decisions.
Major events do not create 40 straight days of sold-out hotels. They create high-demand periods around key dates. When the public story becomes that a city has no rooms left, some leisure travellers, tour operators, meeting planners, and business travellers look elsewhere. That perception can reduce the very demand the event is meant to support.
As inventory continues to return to the market, including FIFA’s recent release of additional room blocks, travellers are seeing more availability across Metro Vancouver. This reflects what the hotel community has said for some time: accommodation availability changes as major events approach, group allocations shift, and consumers make final plans.
Recent visitor modelling also points to a different mix of demand than many first assumed. A significant share of attendees are expected to be local or regional same-day visitors. That still matters for the visitor economy, but it does not translate into overnight hotel demand in the same way as a larger influx of international overnight travellers.
FIFA remains an important opportunity for Vancouver and BC. It will put the province in front of a global audience and bring meaningful activity to the region. This should also serve as a reminder that major events require balanced messaging, coordinated planning, and realistic expectations. Perception matters in tourism. When consumers are repeatedly told there will be “no rooms available,” many simply choose not to come.
The message now should be simple: Vancouver is ready, rooms are available, and visitors should make their plans. BC’s hotel community has invested in preparing for this moment and is ready to welcome local, regional, domestic, and international guests throughout the summer.
About the BC Hotel Association
The BCHA is a non-profit organization that has advocated for the best interests of the province’s accommodation sector since 1917. Working closely with over 750 members, partner organizations, and all levels of government, the BCHA champions solutions to issues that affect the successful operations of accommodation businesses including workforce shortages, labour mobility, cost of operations, the impact of short-term vacation rentals, and more.
Mission
Shaping the future of Hospitality. We advocate, educate, and elevate.
Values
Leadership | Respect | Collaboration
Media Contact
Gareth Allen-Symmons , Communications Manager
BC Hotel Association
communications@bcha.com