Scotties visitors help boost Kamloops economy

“It’s the best I’ve ever attended, probably. Our city was so behind it, tourism was behind it. It is going to stay with me, own a piece of my heart for a long time,” added Bolton.

The event was also a success for local businesses that saw an increase in visitors stopping by and spending money throughout the tournament. For restaurants, it was a chance to pack their dining rooms again.

“Coming out of COVID, it’s definitely nice to see our community embracing things like this and, once again, establishing that we are a tournament capital. Being able to accommodate as many guests as we possibly can, obviously, it was beneficial for our brand and our business,” said Moxies Kamloops General Manager Jimi Turner.

Moxies, conveniently located directly across the street from the Sandman Centre, saw record sales numbers over the past 10 days. The money spent at the restaurant and tipped to servers will be reinvested back into Kamloops through other shops and stores, again helping the local economy.

“We didn’t have enough resources in this area to accommodate everyone, so some people got displaced to other restaurants in the community, which is great. But, I know there were a lot of people on those cold days, who were looking for someplace really, really close and we were just that place for them,” said Turner.

The Scotties ticks off one of the final boxes for Kamloops in the world of curling, having now hosted a Scotties, Brier, men’s and women’s world championship and Canada Cup. Despite the lengthy resume, Bolton noted there was one more event to be conquered.

“I promised my family I would take some time off,” joked Bolton. “But, in the curling world, Brian Fisher is already poking at us for the Olympic trials. We will see what happens. We have a few years to wait for that. That would be a nice piece, too.”

With dreams of Olympic trials years away, crews are at work at the Sandman Centre preparing the arena for the return of the Kamloops Blazers this Friday (March 3).

by Michael Reeve

Scotties visitors help boost Kamloops economy

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