Boston could score as much as $22 million in economic spending during this week’s NCAA men’s college basketball tournament, according to a top local tourism expert.
Thousands of fans are flooding into town for a pair of Sweet 16 matchups — Syracuse vs. Wisconsin and Ohio State vs. Cincinnati — on Thursday night and the winners’ subsequent Elite 8 game on Saturday at the TD Garden.
“We ended up with some really good teams,” said Patrick Moscaritolo, president of the Greater Boston Convention Visitors Bureau. “We have a New York team and we have a team like Ohio State that travels really well. We’ll be seeing lots of fans from those schools.”
The four teams, hoops fans, NCAA crew and national media will pour an estimated $18 million to $22 million into Hub hotels, restaurants and other tourism-geared businesses, Moscaritolo estimated.
The March Madness participants started dribbling in yesterday and will fill more than 4,000 rooms at seven area hotels, Moscaritolo said. Many will stay through Sunday morning.
“It’s the equivalent of having a major citywide convention from this kind of spending, because they are here over that extended period,” he said.