2015 Tim Hortons Brier draws thousands of tourists to Calgary

The 2015 Brier gets underway in Calgary today and while the action will be happening on the ice, the event is going to pay off for tourism in the city.

At a time when Calgary is facing an economic downturn because of low oil prices, the tournament willbring a welcome boost to business.

• The Brier: 5 things to know

"When you take into account all of the activities with the event, the event budget, all of the suppliers involved an economic activity of around $15 million is what we expect," said Marco De Iaco with Tourism Calgary.

De Iacosays when the Brier was here in 2009, it drew 11,000 visitors from across Canada who spent $9 million directly and generated $15 million overall.

DeIaco expects the same this year.

• Click on the image above to watch TerriTrembathsstory about the many ways Calgary will benefit from the Brier.