Chappell Roan’s new song has sparked a tourism boom in Saskatchewan, but it's not the first time fame has brought extra consumers to Canadian locations

When you think of self-proclaimed Midwestern Pricess Chappell Roan, you probably think of her signature red curly hair or the infectious "HOT TO GO!" dance. But now, a Canadian province might also come to mind thanks to her new hit single.

In July Chappell Roan, real name Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, released "The Subway," and fans were intrigued to hear her sing “I’m moving to Saskatchewan” (from New York City) if she can’t get over her break up in four months.

Since the song’s release, Saskatchewan has been experiencing a major tourism boom they attribute to the iconic drag pop provocateur.

According to Business Insider, Saskatchewan saw its first spike in U.S. Google Trends in two years, and the province's tourism board has seen around 50,000 interactions with its social media accounts and webpage.

Jonathan Potts, CEO of Tourism Saskatchewan, told Business Insider that they “don't normally get this kind of publicity from an artist that's at the peak of their popularity."

The singer promises to visit, but in the meantime the province has it handled

Tourism Saskatchewan has been capitalizing off this increased attention, creating a blog post advising tourists on how to explore the province based on their favourite Chappell Roan song, suggesting activities and restaurants for fans to check out.

In an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music, Roan said “I've never been there, but I promise I will perform there one day”.

While Roan might be the current talk of the town when it comes to Canadian tourism, she’s not the only celebrity who has instigated tourist booms before.

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Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in Toronto and Vancouver

Perhaps one of the most notable celebrity events to bring money to Canada— and one of the most notable concert tours in music history thus far — was Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.

The tour made two stops in Canada, with six performances in Toronto and three performances in Vancouver. Not only did Canadians spend a pretty penny on tickets to the show — upwards of $2,000 — but they spent a lot of money just to be in these cities.

Toronto saw a boost of $282 million in its economy and Vancouver saw $157 million, according to CBC.

The “real” Schitt’s Creek

Schitt’s Creek , the beloved Canadian comedy starring Euegene and Dan Levy and Catherine O’Hara, stole the hearts of fans in Canada and beyond.

Goodwood, Ontario is the town where certain iconic exteriors of the show were filmed — like Rose Apothecary, Bob’s Garage and Cafe Tropical — and is also home to Annina's Bakery, a location that the cast enjoyed sweet treats from.

These spots became popular for tourists during the show's height (and even now, albeit at a lesser extent).

While the series has ended and the constant stream of tourists in the small town has slowed, it is still visited by fans, and there are rumours that a more official Schitt’s Creek tourist destination is in the works.

The now non-functional motel located in Mono, ON, that served as the Rosebud Motel in the show was purchased back in 2020, and fans on Tiktok have noticed the “Rosebud Motel” sign was put back up on the building just this summer. There are speculations that the space will be transformed into another tourist attraction based on the show, so a boost for this small town’s economy could be on the way.

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Follow the red balloon to Port Hope

Back in 2017, the film IT was released. Adapted from Stephen King’s tome of a novel, filming took place in Port Hope, Ontario, and brought $600,000 into the local economy according to tourism officials. Additionally, the second installment of the cinematic duology — IT Chapter 2— was also filmed there two years later.

Since the story takes place in the fictional town of Derry, Maine, nearly everywhere you turn in Port Hope’s downtown is a tourist spot for fans of the film, as well as parts of their suburban streets. In fact, the town itself developed a self-guided IT walking tour that you can access online, to make sure tourists don’t miss any of the filming locations.

This fall, HBO is releasing an IT TV series called IT: Welcome to Derry, which was also partially filmed in Port Hope. Northumberland News reported that the filming of the series brought in approximately $1.5 million to the town, and could bring in more if additional seasons are put into production. This will certainly prompt fans of the show to visit and set their sites on some frightful delights.

Sources

1. Business Insider:Chappell Roan's hit song 'The Subway' has sparked a tourism boom in Saskatchewan by Katherine Li and Kelsey Vlamis (Aug 10, 2025)

2. Tourism Saskatchewan Canada:Exploring Saskatchewan Based on Your Favourite Chappell Roan Song by Tourism Saskatchewan Staff (July 30, 2025)

3. YouTube/Apple Music: Chappell Roan: "The Subway", Saskatchewan & Tour | Zane Lowe Interview (Aug 12, 2025)

4. CBC: Economic impact of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour in Vancouver estimated at $157M by The Canadian Press (Nov 26, 2024)

5. Inside Halton: What’s going on at the Schitt’s Creek ‘Rosebud Motel’? Popular Ontario tourist spot just one of many nearby attractions in this rural county by Mike Pearson (June 4, 2025)

6. Global News: Port Hope caught up in the buzz of ‘It’ following box office success by Sarah Deeth (Sept 28,2017)

7. Port Hope Tourism: IT Walking Tour

8. Northumberland News:Could HBO’s ‘Welcome to Derry’ TV series mean millions more for the town of Port Hope? by Bill Hodgins (Jan 14, 2025)