It’s been an exciting month for people who follow college basketball, as March Madness wraps up in Texas. But what you may not consider when you think about the tournament is the incredible travel engine that exists in the background, from fan and team transportation to hotels and big-ticket entertainment to smaller spend like meals and rideshares.

Host Rebecca Tobin traveled to Houston for the final matchup in the men's games, along with Matt Traub, the managing editor of sister publication SportsTravel. But ahead of the Final Four we sat down with Travel Weekly’s deputy managing editor, Gerry Bourbeau, a college hoops fan and a former sportswriter, to talk about the size of the sports-travel market, its post-lockdown rebound, the travel spend generated by the basketball tournament and how host cities prepare to greet fans and keep the fun going.

We also pinpoint major cities that are hosting major sporting events and where sports travel is growing by leaps and bounds (looking at you, pickleball).

This episode was recorded March 30 and has been edited for length and clarity.

Episode sponsor

This episode is sponsored by G Adventures https://www.gadventures.com

Related links

The SportsTravel podcast: Hosting the Men's Final Four in Houston https://www.sportstravelmagazine.com/janis-burke-and-holly-kesterson-hosting-the-mens-final-four-in-houston/

Sports travel and tours is on a hot streak https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Tour-Operators/Sports-tourism-high-demand

Vegas' lucky numbers: A record year for airport traffic, casinos https://www.travelweekly.com/North-America-Travel/Insights/Las-Vegas-tourism-numbers-for-2022

 

 

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