Despite the upcoming FIFA World Cup, Vancouver hotel bookings are down 20 percent compared to last year, mirroring a trend seen in other host cities. Royce Chwin, president and CEO of Destination Vancouver, expressed cautious optimism that bookings will pick up as the tournament nears.
Booking Slump Across Host Cities
A report from the American Hotel & Lodging Association in April revealed that 80 percent of hotels in 11 U.S. host cities were running below booking forecasts. Vancouver has not been immune to this trend. Chwin noted that for June, the booking pace is down about 20 percent compared to the same period in 2025.
Several factors are contributing to the slowdown, including geopolitical tensions, traveller confidence issues related to U.S. perceptions, TSA concerns, high fuel costs, and overall economic pressures. The World Cup, while a major event, is not inexpensive to attend, further deterring early bookings.
Occupancy Rates and Market Data
A Forbes report citing analytics firm CoStar indicated that occupancy rates on game days in Vancouver are at just 39 percent, a staggering 53 percent drop from the same dates a year ago. This has surprised many who expected Canadian cities to benefit from the complicated travel experience in the U.S., including travel bans, visa pauses, and ICE presence at games.
Shift in Consumer Behaviour
Chwin attributes the low bookings to a shift in consumer behaviour over the last few years, with travellers reluctant to make final bookings until much closer to the event. He remains cautiously optimistic that last-minute bookings will increase in the coming weeks.
Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe, echoed this sentiment, stating that experienced tournament fans know hotel prices will eventually drop. He noted that many hotel owners overprice initially and then panic, reducing rates at the last minute.
Positive Signs in Other Sectors
Despite the hotel slump, Vancouver remains a popular destination. The cruise industry is expected to set a record with 358 ships bringing 1.4 million passengers this season. Air arrivals for June through August are up six percent from last year, with significant increases from the U.K. (21 percent), China (27 percent), and Australia (13 percent).
Airline bookings from countries playing at B.C. Place are also up: Belgium (38 percent), Qatar (20 percent), New Zealand (23 percent), and Switzerland (9 percent). However, bookings from Egypt are down 12 percent.
Chwin remains hopeful that as the World Cup draws closer, hotel bookings will rise, turning the gloomy May showers into June blooms.
