It is going to be a busy week for the tourism industry in Kamloops as the Canada 55-Plus Games are finally here.

Tourism Kamloops CEO, Monica Dickinson, says the four-day event from Aug. 23 to 26 will see about 5,000 people coming to the Tournament Capital, translating into six thousand room nights for local hotels.

Speaking on the NL Morning News, she says overall the local economy should see an influx of $3.5 million.

“Pretty impressive you know considering all that we’ve endured over the last few years,” she said.  “This is definitely a top runner for sure.”

“I mean with 2,400 registered athletes and then their families and spectators and everything else, I mean to host a national event of this calibre is certainly a notch in our belts and I think we’re ready to go.”

Kamloops beat out Whitehorse, Calgary, and Fort McMurray to win the bid for the games in 2018. It will be the first time that these games are held in British Columbia.

Dickinson realizes the staffing challenges that the hospitality sector has been dealing with but notes they should be prepared to be really busy come Tuesday.

“People are coming from all across the country to participate in over 26 events,” she said. “They’re bringing friends and family and spectators are descending and yeah, it just feels really cool to be the spotlight and the host community for this.”

Both the Canada Games Pool and the Tournament Capital Centre Fieldhouse will be closed for the duration of the games. The Fieldhouse will reopen on Aug. 27, while the pool will open on Sept. 6.

– With files from Victor Kaisar