The NBA Raptors Finals, a boon for Toronto's tourism and hospitality sectors

Rapist Mania is a slam dunk for Toronto's tourism and hospitality industry.

While basketball fans flock to the city to watch the Canadian team compete for the title of NBA champion, the hotels are full, flights are filling and bars and restaurants are seeing their sales soar.

"You can not buy the kind of advertising and visibility in North America and other markets" that Toronto is drawing from the finals of the NBA, said Terry Mundell, President and CEO of Greater Toronto Hotel Association.

Rooms in the city are "completely sold," said Mundell. There are more than 23,000 hotel rooms in Toronto and it is expected that they will all be filled for Games 1 and 2.

Airbnb also sees a spike in bookings. According to Alex Dagg, director of public policy, 24% of the extra rooms were booked Thursday night in the city for the first game compared to the same day last year. On Sunday, for the second game, bookings had increased 15% Thursday compared to a year ago, but Dagg expects that number to increase as the match approaches.

Porter Airlines has seen a "noticeable increase" in ticket sales in Toronto in the days leading up to the opening game, especially in US cities, spokesman Brad Cicero said.

The bars and restaurants were filling up hours before the scheduled opening ceremony on Thursday. Andrew Kaiser, owner of Toronto's sports bars, The Dock Ellis and The Aviary, said Thursday that he was hoping to easily double his usual sales.

Barry Taylor, director of operations at Ballroom, a downtown bar, said bookings for the first game of the series had been maximized by the "time we won" the semi-finals.

When the Raptors defeated the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday to qualify for the NBA finals, Matthew Jang in Kelowna, BC, was considering flying to Toronto to see the team that was out there. He loves to play in the first championship in the history of the franchise.

He bought tickets for the lower level of Game 5 for just over $ 5,000 each from the StubHub ticket resale branch, and he will book flights once the Raptors get their first win.

"[It’s] a memory we will never forget, "he said.

Nicole Ricci, who lives in Ottawa and went to Toronto for Thursday's game, said it was a chance to be part of the story.

"The Raptors have never competed in the finals and, although they are the Toronto team, they are also the Canada team. the city while dining and shopping.

However, at least one long-distance Raptor fan will miss the city. Brenda Melanson of Digby, NS, said the scalpers were thwarting her family's plans to spend a weekend in Toronto cheering for the team.

When it was Ms. Melanson's turn to buy tickets in TicketMaster's virtual queue, she said there were only resale tickets that were priced at three times their original value.

"It makes me angry that people buy these tickets knowing that they will not participate in the game," she said.

A few hours before the first match, the cheapest tickets available on StubHub, for standing on the balcony, cost about $ 750 each.

In addition to the short-term increase in tourism revenues that the NBA Finals bring to the city, long-term intangible benefits related to the exhibit are also exposed, according to Andrew Weir, Executive Vice President of Tourism Toronto.

"This is an opportunity to continue to change the perceptions of the city," he said. "And create more interest, desire and demand for people to come and visit."

For urban destinations such as Toronto, Mr. Weir said that a vibrant energy is important to attract visitors. He says he thinks those in the city this week will witness the best side.

Visitors will see "the city very, very alive".