SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio’s recent thrilling Spurs playoff run delivered an estimated $36.2 million in economic impact from game ticket sales and visitor spending on hotels, food and transportation, according to Visit San Antonio.
The tourism agency said the estimate also includes a boost to San Antonio businesses and media exposure from national and international television outlets.
Visit San Antonio broke down the projected impact by playoff round, putting the first two rounds at $3.5 million each, the Western Conference finals at nearly $6.8 million, and the NBA Finals — with the study projected for a seven-game series — at about $22 million.
San Antonio hotels and tourism saw a significant surge of business from New York Knicks fans who traveled to watch Game 1, Game 2 and Game 5 at the Frost Bank Center.
Visit San Antonio said its estimate covers spending by visitors only and is based on the MMGY Domestic Leisure Traveler Study, available local hotel data and online ticketing sources.
The Spurs also released ticket-buyer data showing fans from 96 countries and territories purchased tickets this season. After the United States, the top countries were Mexico, Canada, Australia, France and the United Kingdom, the team said.
The team said every home playoff game was a sellout and that nearly 80% of single-game playoff ticket buyers were Millennials or Gen X. The Spurs said 65% of buyers were families with children.
The Spurs reported additional fan engagement during the postseason, including more than 70,000 attendees at free watch parties at The Rock at La Cantera and more than 40,000 at Frost Bank Center.
The team said more than $238,000 was raised through a 50/50 raffle to support Spurs Give during the playoffs, along with more than 750 free NBA Finals tickets that were given to local nonprofit organizations.
The team also cited community donations totaling more than $200,000 for renovations at a facility run by Salesian Sisters, as well as funding for a new bus and playground.
In retail, the Spurs said they became the first NBA team to surpass $1 million in retail sales in the first round of the playoffs and reported selling more than 10,680 jerseys during the postseason, headed into the NBA Finals.