When the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Catherine, touch down in British Columbia this week, the eyes of the world will be fixed on the province and everything it has to offer. But the royal visit will also come with a hefty price tag for Canadians.
While the cost of the upcoming B.C. and Yukon tour won’t be revealed until after the eight-day trip, past royal visits have resulted in substantial expenditures.
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s 2011 tour cost $1.2 million, last year’s two-day visit by Princess Anne cost $128,000 and the Queen’s 2010 nine-day tour came in at $2.79 million, the Ottawa Citizen reports.
READ MORE: Royal tour tab – Canadian taxpayers likely to pay big bill
While royal visits can cost Canadian taxpayers a pretty penny, one can’t underestimate the branding power of arguably the most famous celebrity couple in the world.
Aside from the anticipated stops in Victoria and Vancouver during their tour of B.C., Prince William and Kate will also tour the Great Bear Rainforest in Bella Bella, sample Okanagan wines and fish in the waters of Haida Gwaii.
The communities and businesses in those areas are well aware the world’s attention will be on them when the Royals are in town.
READ MORE: Busy schedule as details of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge B.C. royal visit revealed
While in Bella Bella, Prince William and Kate will be given an aerial tour of the vast Great Bear Rainforest, a world-renowned, one-of-a-kind ecosystem in B.C. that attracts herds of eco-minded tourists from all over the world every year.
“The reputation of the Great Bear Rainforest has clearly been growing,” said Jessie Housty, a tribal councillor with the Heiltsuk First Nation in Bella Bella who will welcome the royal couple. “I think the royal visit is really going to amplify that for the global audience.
“We have certainly seen how royal visits of this nature really boost tourism and I think we are ready for it.”
Over in the Okanagan, the Royals will stop by the vineyards of the Mission Hill Winery, an occasion winemaker Anthony von Mandl says will benefit the entire region.
In a private function that’s by-invite only, von Mandl says the royal couple will tour the vineyard and may even get a chance to pick some grapes. The group will take a visit down to the cellar, where they will sip some of the winery’s finest vintages.
“This is a truly once-in-a-lifetime event,” von Mandl said. “We have been working so hard for many years to put Okanagan and our wines on the world stage. To have the privilege of the Duke and Duchess visiting is just a gift. It’s going to help our region so immensely.”
Chris Shauf with Tourism Kelowna says he hopes the royal visit will introduce Kelowna and the surrounding communities to travellers on the global scale.
“The world really watches every move that Will and Kate make,” Shauf said. “When they visit Kelowna, we know that an international audience is going to be following them. It’s a tremendous opportunity for us to showcase our destination to people who may not have thought about Okanagan or been to this region; to put it on their radar and start them thinking about what a vacation to this region could do for them.”
He says local residents are humbled and honoured to host the Royals.
“The number of places that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit in their lifetimes is not very large,” Shauf said. “To be included on that list is a point of pride for people who live here.”
WATCH: Victoria’s Government House prepares for royal visit
The royal couple will wrap up their tour of the remote parts of the province with a visit to Haida Gwaii, where they will paddle in a traditional Haida canoe, get a welcome from the Haida Nation and see a cultural performance from local children.
They will also officially open the new Haida Gwaii Hospital and Care Centre and meet with people who have been treated there.
“The exposure that the Royal Family brings is something we have been very mindful of heading into this whole ordeal,” said Peter Lantin, president of the Council of the Haida Nation. “It is a great opportunity to showcase Haida Gwaii and we are going to embrace every part of it.”
Lantin says they have been working on their tourism strategy for decades in the face of the downturn in other major economies in the area, like logging and fishing.
While Lantin says the royal visit will help put Haida Gwaii on the international map, they have to be aware of their own limitations when it comes to tourism in such a remote and pristine location as Haida Gwaii.
“We are not talking about this massive influx of tourists brought on by the Royals that would short-circuit our capacity,” he said. “We are a humble little island. There is not a lot to it other than – this is how we live and who we are. We obviously want people to visit Haida Gwaii, but also take a look at our story.
“I think deep down underneath this visit, there is a great story that talks about this history, this relationship and exactly where we are today,” Lantin said.
Most importantly, Lantin says the Royals will see and do the kind of things that any tourist would be able to access on their trip to Haida Gwaii.
“It’s what anybody else would experience when they come here, which is a cool thing about it.”
Prince William, Kate and their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, will be in B.C. and Yukon from Sept. 24 to Oct. 1 and take part in more than 30 engagements. For the full Royal Tour 2016 itinerary, click here. For more of Global News ongoing Royal Tour 2016 coverage, click here.
With files from Tania Kohut and Amy Judd