Sports tourism shows promise for Florida amid decline in Canadian visitors

The buzz of the ballpark, the roar of the crowd, and the perfect view from the TD Executive Suites at downtown Toronto’s Rogers Centre Stadium set the stage for more than just baseball this past Friday night (Sep 26).

As the Tampa Bay Rays faced off against the Toronto Blue Jays, VISIT FLORIDA and Elite Sports Tours hosted an exclusive evening for media partners and select travel agents to highlight sports tourism opportunities - made sweeter as the Blue Jays won 4-2.

Sports tourism takes centre stage

With nearly 1.7 million Canadians visiting Florida in the first half of 2025, the VISIT FLORIDA and Elite Sports Tours collaboration was perfectly timed.

"VISIT FLORIDA is here at the Rogers Centre tonight with Elite Sports Tours to highlight the growing opportunities in sports tourism in Florida," Meagan Lowe, vice president of public relations and travel trade, told PAX in a pre-event Q&A .

"The Sunshine State is one of North America's premier destinations for sports fans, and baseball is just the beginning: we are also home to NBA, NHL MLS, and NFL powerhouses."

Tim Macdonell, CEO of Elite Sports Tours, has been in the business for 18 years and sees the Florida partnership as strategic given upcoming events.

"With World Cup showing up in Florida next year in Miami, we thought it's a great time to partner and get the word out there to agents," Macdonell told PAX.

"So, we launched the Sports Travel Agent Network in 2025 - it's allowed agents to get commissionable products - flights, hotels, as well as tickets to major sporting events."

New opportunities for travel agents

Many travel advisors are finding new opportunities in sports as clients seek experiential travel.

Heather Baker, national marketing manager at Envoyage, the independent division of Flight Centre Travel Group, explained to PAX that "travel is becoming more about just trips."

"People are looking for experiences, and Elite Sports gives them front row access to F1, concerts, baseball events," Baker said. "Clients want to come back with a story to tell."

Baker noticed the trend has been kicked off by "gig tripping" - think Taylor Swift's Eras tour showing people the value of combining travel with major events.

"We saw people flying to places like Paris or Frankfurt or London to experience this event in a different surrounding,” she told PAX.

Marco Finocchi, travel advisor at Playcation Travel, brings 15 years of travel industry experience and recently onboarded with Elite Sports Tours' network.

"We're getting interest in all kinds of sports - Formula One, NFL, baseball, soccer," he told PAX. "Clients are starting to ask about World Cup tickets and things like that."

The Florida market offers advantages for Canadian travellers seeking value.

Macdonell explained that sports fans maximize their investment: "Sports fans go to multiple sporting events and see two or three sports in a weekend. That gives them perceived value where they're turning multiple trips into one."

Demographics vary by sport, with baseball attracting "anywhere from 35 up into 65 plus" according to Macdonell, while pricing ranges dramatically.

"There's people that just want to road trip through the US following their baseball teams - but then you have people that want to see F1 in Monaco, and that obviously has a higher dollar value," Baker noted.

Onboarding and ongoing support for agents

Recognizing that sports tourism isn't most travel advisors' primary product, Elite Sports Tours has invested heavily in agent support.

"We provide it all. There's a lot of stuff agents aren't familiar with, as this isn't their primary product," Macdonell explained.

The company offers onboarding training and ongoing support through a web-based application allowing agents to track and manage their clients directly.

VISIT FLORIDA developed the VisitFloridaTravelPro.com e-learning platform that "equips travel advisors with knowledge to confidently sell Florida across multiple themes, ensuring agents can craft itineraries combining leisure and sports experiences."

“Strong, trusted relationship" remains despite challenges

While Canadian visitation to Florida dropped 18.1per cent in the first half of 2025 compared to 2024, VISIT FLORIDA remains optimistic.

"What hasn't changed is the strong, trusted relationship Florida has built with Canadian travellers," according to Lowe.

When asked about factors influencing the decline, Lowe acknowledged that "currency fluctuations and the overall economic climate could be playing a role," but emphasized that "Canadians continue to seek value and Florida remains committed to delivering on that."

As it has been well documented, international sentiment toward the U.S. has been undermined by several factors.

Prominent among these are policy announcements under the Trump administration, including proposed tariffs targeting long-time trade partners, including Canada.

The weak Canadian dollar and widespread media coverage of border security incidents and national travel advisories have further contributed to a negative image abroad.

The latest data from Statistics Canada shows an ongoing decline in cross-border movement between Canada and the U.S.

Canadian-resident return trips by air from the U.S. dropped 25.4 per cent in August compared to the same month last year, nearly mirroring the decline seen in July. 

In addition, the number of Canadian return trips by car from the U.S. that same month totalled 1.9 million, a steep decline (-33.9 per cent) from the same month in 2024.

VISIT FLORIDA declined to comment on the geopolitical situation, but Lowe noted that sports tourism may help address value concerns, explaining that travel advisors see strong interest in packages pairing sports with memorable destinations.

"For many travellers, especially sports fans, value often comes from meaningful experiences - and following their favourite team on the road can be a cost-effective way to enjoy a vacation with a purpose," Lowe told PAX.

The sports tourism segment shows promise, with Canadian visitors directing 14 per cent of their in-state spending to sports activities in Q1 2025, compared to 12 per cent in 2024. Additionally, eight per cent of Canadian visitors attended a sports event while in Florida during the 2025’s first quarter.

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