Tourism Calgary anticipates strong start to 2026

Millions of people visited our city this year, and Tourism Calgary says next year’s numbers are expected to be even stronger.

Millions of people came to visit the city of Calgary this year, and officials say next year’s tourism levels are expected to be even stronger.

Tourism Calgary released a report on Tuesday, which found that the city had “a record-breaking lead up to the summer season.”

Officials said visitor spending, hotel occupancy and incoming flights were all up from 2024.

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“This year, every quadrant of our city has been alive with activity and these results prove that Calgary is benefiting from the investments made into convention space and place-making projects in our city, as well as from the work our team is doing to promote leisure travel and attract major events and conferences,” said Alisha Reynolds, president and CEO of Tourism Calgary, in a news release.

This year, the largest monthly increases in visitor spending were May (8.8 per cent), June (22.9 per cent), July (2.1 per cent) and August (1.7 per cent).

Officials say events like the G7 summit, the Calgary Stampede and the Rotary International Convention all contributed to the city’s success.

New direct flights into Calgary International Airport also helped tourism numbers, officials said, as many more U.S. travellers came to the city in the first half of the year.

Visitors from B.C. and Ontario led the way in domestic travellers, while Manitoba and Quebec travel numbers were also up from 2024.

What’s in store for 2026

Building on the success will be sporting and cultural events almost every week during the first quarter of 2026, followed by 12 city-wide conventions – up from nine this year.

“Calgary is building momentum as an all-season destination for a diverse range of sports and major events,” said Carson Ackroyd, senior vice-president of sales at Tourism Calgary.

“Our success as a vibrant and welcoming winter sport and event destination is generating new hosting opportunities and we’re seeing the results to the tune of $61 million in projected economic impact for the market, for the first three months of 2026.”

Some of the events in early 2026 include:

• Conservative Party of Canada national convention (Jan. 29 to 31);
• Chinook Blast festival (Jan. 30 to Feb. 18);
• Assembly of First Nations Natural Resource Forum (Feb. 10 to 11);
• FIS Park and Pipe Junior World Championships (Feb. 28 to March 7); and
• Women’s World Curling Championships (March 14 to 22).