Next month's NFL Draft in Detroit is turning into an economic boost for hotels in downtown Windsor.
Gordon Orr, CEO of Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island, says the draft is the second biggest event the NFL puts on next to Super Bowl.
"I know that downtown Detroit is sold out, they have around 6,000 hotel rooms in downtown Detroit," he says. "They want us to help them be an accommodation partner."
Orr says the excitement and the buzz is building.
"Hotels in downtown Windsor are sold out for the Thursday night, there is still accommodations within the Windsor-Essex region, but downtown is sold out," he says. They're tracking at around 85% of occupancy or higher for the Friday night of the event."
The NFL draft is scheduled for April 25-27, with the first round on the Thursday night.
The draft will take place in downtown Detroit with the stage near Cadillac Square and Campus Martius Park, and the celebrations will stretch all the way to Hart Plaza where the NFL Fan Experience will be located.
Orr says tourism and hospitality is so important for our region.
"Typically, an overnight accommodater would spend about $300 per person for one overnight while they're here," he says.
According to Orr, there were over 4.4 million visitors to Windsor-Essex in 2022, leaving behind $669-million in direct spending, and helping to employ approximately 10,000 people in the region's tourism industry.