The economic impact of Toronto’s marathoners

With more than 30,000 participants and 150,000 spectators, the 2024 race weekend filled hotels, restaurants and businesses across the city, proving that major Canadian events remain a powerful draw for both domestic and international travelers.

The marathon contributed $23.2 million to the city’s GDP and supported 349 jobs in 2024, alone.

Per-party spending from attendees was at about $979, on accommodations, groceries, entertainment, retail, transportation and vehicle expenses. Media, VIP and volunteers spent an additional $126,000.

The combined purchase of goods and services by event organizers stood at $5 million.

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Impact on out-of-towners

The event in 2024 brought in over 66,000 out-of-town visitors, accounting for nearly one tenth of the total tourism in Toronto that month, with 60% indicating the event as the sole reason for their travel.

With 83% of visitors staying overnight, and aggregate visitor spending reaching $30 million, the event bolsters local businesses, accommodations, restaurants and more with the economic boost. On average, visitors stayed 2.8 nights in the city.

What’s more, 60% said the event was their sole reason for visiting the city.

The total net economic impact on Canada as a whole was $31.4 million, with tax revenues totaling $11.6 million across the country.

The 2025 marathon is set to take place October 18 to 19. It is an Olympics-qualifying event.

Survey methodology

For this study, 1,580 attendee responses were collected on-site during the 2024 marathon, developed by STC, alongside the event organizers.

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Nicholas Sokic Contributor

Nicholas completed his master's in journalism and communications at Western University. Since then, he's worked as a reporter at the Financial Post, Healthing.ca, Sustainable Biz Canada and more. Aside from reporting, he also has experience in web production, social media management, photography and video production. His work can also be found in the Toronto Star, Yahoo Finance Canada, Electric Autonomy Canada and Exclaim among others.

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