Vancouver wins 2010 Winter Olympics
A tense afternoon of voting by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Prague saw Pyeongchang, the dark horse South Korean candidate, almost pull off one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history.
In the first round the Korean bid came within just six votes of a clear win, but in the second round run-off Vancouver picked up most of Salzburg’s 16 first round votes, to squeak through by 56 votes to 53.
Canada’s win looks good for London’s hopes of hosting the 2012 summer Games. The European bids from Paris, London, Madrid and Moscow were all likely to have suffered from a Salzburg win because the IOC were thought unlikely to chose two European venues in two years.
Vancouver’s win has also eliminated Toronto from the bidders for 2012, as it had already said it would bow out if another Canadian city won for 2010. That decision probably gave Vancouver the edge in the vote, because backers of many European city bids voted tactically to exclude Toronto from the race.
The day’s events were a shock to Salzburg, which saw itself as ‘the heart of the heart’ of Europe and thought it was neck and neck with Vancouver to win. But its European neighbours scuppered its bid by deserting one of their own to increase the chances of a European summer Games.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
In Italy, the Meloni government congratulates itself for its tourism achievements
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive