A student-athlete hockey tournament held in Penticton last spring helped inject nearly $3.4 million into the city’s economy, according to new data.
The 2023 Canadian Sports School Hockey League (CSSHL) Western Championship brings a total of 86 teams, as well as approximately 1,900 players and staff to Penticton from March 6 to 19.
Event officials said around 3,900 spectators attended the tournament, with 84 percent of them covering more than 320 kilometers and staying an average of more than three nights in the city.
Games across all six CSSHL divisions are played at Penticton’s Memorial Arena, South Okanagan Events Center and Okanagan Hockey Training Centre.
“Looking at the impressive economic numbers from last year’s tournament really emphasizes how much impact the CSSHL Western Championship has had for Penticton,” said Dean Clarke, general manager and regional vice president of OVG360, the group that oversees SOEC.
“With most participants and spectators coming from outside the Okanagan area, this annual event provides a clear and powerful economic boost to our local hospitality for 14 days during a normally quieter tourism period.”
Teams from the U15 to U18 age brackets from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Idaho feature in the annual tournament.
Data released by the CSSHL shows that more than 91 percent of the event attendees were overnight out-of-town guests.
Along with Penticton’s $3.337 million economic impact, event officials said the tournament injected $3.86 million into the province and generated a $4.9 million jump nationally.
Earlier this year, the CSSHL and the City of Penticton agreed to a 10-year, $500,000 deal to keep the tournament here.
A total of 96 teams and thousands of additional players and staff are expected at Penticton in 2024 for the event.
“With the ongoing expansion of the CSSHL, which will see 96 teams from the four western provinces and the states of Idaho and Washington competing during the 2023-2024 season, the CSSHL Western Championship will continue to grow each season and provide even more economic benefits. impact on Penticton and the province of BC,” said Kevin Goodwin, chief operating officer of CSSHL.
Last March marked the seventh time Penticton has hosted the tournament.
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