TORONTO — Sports tourism is gaining momentum, and Texas is a wealth of exciting sporting events.

With major league teams in the NHL, NBA, NFL (The Dallas Cowboys’ nickname is ‘America’s Team’), MLB and FC soccer, the Lone Star State’s cities certainly have an advantage.

The team from Travel Texas was in Toronto last week to share the latest news, and also celebrate the Houston Rockets’ return to the Scotiabank Arena to take on the Toronto Raptors.

“We’re excited to be back in Canada,” said Debra Bustos from the Office of the Governor of Texas, and the host of the event. “In 2022, 475,000 Canadian residents explored Texas; and it looks like our numbers are almost back to pre-pandemic levels.”

Canada, adds Bustos, is the state’s second largest international visitor market. In 2022, Canadians stayed an average of seven nights and spent $383 million.

And, with direct flights from Calgary, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver on Air Canada, American Airlines, United Airlines and WestJet, more than 60% of Canadian travellers arrived by air.

For more about travel in Texas see traveltexas.com.