When it comes to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Tourism Nanaimo is playing to its strength, with what it describes as a “measured strategy that has stayed focused on realistic travel patterns rather than broad event-driven demand.”
In fact, in a update to local operators, Tourism Nanaimo said that it had not forecast FIFA-level compression for Nanaimo; instead, focusing its FIFA-related work on the audiences most likely to align with the destination during the tournament period — including Vancouver residents looking for breathing room during peak event periods; visitors exploring beyond the host city; and travellers considering Vancouver Island before or after time in the Lower Mainland.
Carly Pereboom, CEO of Tourism Nanaimo, explained that: “FIFA is a major event for British Columbia, but our strategy hasn’t been about assuming that tournament spillover will fill Nanaimo.”
Instead, Pereboom said: “Our focus has been on being smart with the audiences that make sense for us, especially Vancouver residents who may want to get out of the city and travellers looking to add an accessible Vancouver Island stay to a broader B.C. trip.”
In fact, recent market signals continue to support that approach. Demand connected to the tournament is present across the region, but travellers are comparing options, watching prices, and keeping flexibility in their plans. For Nanaimo, that points to limited and targeted potential rather than a broad market lift.
The most likely visitor patterns for Nanaimo include Lower Mainland residents looking to leave the city during peak tournament periods, visitors attending matches but choosing to stay outside Vancouver, travellers building pre- and post-trip extensions to Vancouver Island, friends and family travel tied to match attendance, and short leisure stays of two to four nights.
Tourism Nanaimo is supporting this work through visitor-facing marketing, partner coordination, and destination planning tools. A dedicated FIFA landing page has been developed with partner promotions, sample itineraries, local watch-party information, and visitor experiences.
As well, Tourism Nanaimo is continuing to connect with accommodations, restaurants, pubs, transportation providers, attractions, and other local businesses to understand what offers and experiences may be available during the tournament window and beyond.
Marketing efforts have focused on positioning Nanaimo as a relaxed and accessible Vancouver Island escape during Vancouver’s busiest periods. Vancouver-based placements ran through to the FIFA media blackout period and included SkyTrain station platform posters and wraps at Brentwood, Lougheed, Metrotown, and Stadium-Chinatown stations, along with a Tourism Nanaimo SkyTrain wrap running throughout the system.
And Pereboom made it clear that: “The goal is to support incremental visitation that naturally fits Nanaimo. This is about being prepared, being visible, and giving visitors clear reasons to choose Nanaimo as part of their summer travel plans, without overstating what FIFA will mean for the local market.”
For local operators, the strongest position is likely to come from being visible, flexible, and easy to book.
Tourism Nanaimo is encouraging businesses to keep inventory open where possible, review cancellation and length-of-stay policies, consider value-adds such as breakfast, parking, or transportation access, and clearly communicate proximity to ferries, floatplanes, passenger ferry service, and other travel connections.
As Pereboom sees it: “Small decisions can make a difference in a market like this. Travellers are looking for simple, flexible options. The businesses that make it easy to understand what is available, how to get here, and why Nanaimo is worth choosing will be in a stronger position to capture the limited opportunities that do exist.”
Tourism Nanaimo will continue monitoring booking trends, transportation patterns, and regional updates through the tournament. Local businesses with FIFA-related promotions, packages, watch-party plans, transportation updates, or visitor experiences are encouraged to contact Tourism Nanaimo at [email protected] so the team can consider opportunities to support and amplify partner activity.
Go to www.tourismnanaimo.com for more.
