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Every $1 spent on the Boston Marathon: $15 back.
Now imagine that in your country…

The Calgary Stampede, Boston Marathon and Melbourne Cup Carnival each pull in half a billion dollars a year (local currency) for the places that host them. That’s sports tourism at its best: hundreds of thousands of visitors coming to experience a city, a culture and a way of life and can leave as its strongest advocates.

The Half-Billion+ Club

Calgary Stampede · Alberta · 2025

Economic impactC$721 million
Annual spendC$227 million
Impact per $1C$3.20
Visitors from outside Calgary (2024)~397,000
Year-round and seasonal employees4,700
Through the gates in 10 days1.4m+

Boston Marathon · Massachusetts · 2024

Economic impactUS$509 million
Annual spendUS$34 million
Impact per $1US$15
Visitors from outside New England~250,000
Jobs supported statewide2,900
Spectators along the course500,000+

Melbourne Cup Carnival · Victoria · 2024

Economic impactA$502 million
Annual spendA$233 million
Impact per $1A$2.20
Interstate and international visitors68,898
On-track jobs across four race days14,000+
Attendance, four race days285,675

What the Winners Share

Here’s what these three winners get right:

1. Locals fill the seats. Out-of-towners fill the economy.

Around 400,000 people travelled to Calgary and 250,000 to Boston. Money from outside is what moves an economy.

2. It’s not the budget. It’s how it’s spent.

A US$34m Boston Marathon budget sits behind US$509m for Massachusetts.

3. Annual events build value. One-offs never catch up.

The returns repeat every year. The Melbourne Cup Carnival has added A$3.9bn to Victoria over the past decade.

4. A century of tradition builds loyalty no marketing budget can buy.

The Melbourne Cup dates from 1861, the Boston Marathon from 1897, the Calgary Stampede from 1912. Each is rooted in local tradition.

5. Four days. 14,000+ jobs. That’s the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Sportconomics carousel: The Half-Billion+ Club View the carousel (PDF)

Notes. Local currency. Spend is total annual expenditure, including government grants; Calgary and Melbourne cover full-year operations. Impact per $1 is calculated, not published. Calgary includes year-round events at Stampede Park; the 10-day Stampede alone added C$389m. Multi-day events count each day’s attendance. Boston: spectators along the course.

Sources. Calgary Stampede: MNP economic impact study (2025); LiveWire Calgary (2024, 2025). Boston Marathon: UMass Donahue Institute for the B.A.A. and Meet Boston (2024); B.A.A. Form 990 (FY2024). Melbourne Cup Carnival: IER economic impact study for the Victoria Racing Club (2024); VRC (2024, 2025); VRC annual results (2024/25).