WACO, Texas (KXXV) — As Baylor University's Foster Pavilion kicks off the first round of March Madness, local businesses like Spice Village and Crickets anticipate a surge in visitors, with both basketball teams and their enthusiastic supporters flocking to Downtown Waco.
- With the NCAA basketball games at Baylor University's new Foster Pavilion, local businesses like Spice Village expect a surge in visitors, similar to football game days.
- The convergence of March Madness and spring break is projected to bring an influx of tourists and travelers to Waco, boosting local commerce significantly.
- AC Hotel Manager Marissa Maguire highlights that each visiting basketball team books around 300 rooms for several nights, resulting in over 1,000 room nights contributing to the local economy.
- Local restaurants, such as Crickets Draft Bar and Grill, are gearing up for the event, experiencing a high volume of reservations and calls as they prepare to accommodate the influx of fans and support staff.
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“With the Basketball games being right here, we’re seeing the same type of traffic that we see with the football games,” said owner of Spice Village, Jennifer Wilson
As Baylor University’s newly built Foster Pavilion hosts the first round of March Madness, Downtown businesses like Spice Village are expecting more visitors than normal.
“We’re already prepared for a lot of traffic just from travelers coming to Waco as a destination for spring break," Jennifer Wilson said.
"March Madness being added on top of that is just going to throw another influx of a lot of people into the area."
AC Hotel Manager Marissa Maguire is hosting one of the three visiting basketball teams in the tournament.
“It’s not just the teams that are traveling, but it’s their support staff They’re coming with their cheer, they’re coming with their bands and of course their parents, fans and their support base,” Maguire said.
She says each team rents around 300 rooms for about three to five nights, and that doesn’t include fans.
"Multiply that out, it’s probably well over 1,000 room nights, that’s just a direct contribution for March Madness, on top of all other Spring Break travel,” Maguire said.
Local restaurants like Crickets see a full house on games days — and for March Madness, they’re preparing with a with a full staff.
"We're rocking and rolling with this NCAA game, we are ready for sure,” said General Manager of Crickets Draft Bar and Grill, Audrey Foerster.
