by Natasha Lair
Last updated: 11:20 AM ET, Tue November 18, 2025
Toronto’s World Series run didn’t just energize baseball fans — it moved travellers.
New data shared with TravelPulse Canada by Turo highlights how major sporting events drive significant travel demand.
According to Turo, the platform saw a dramatic jump in bookings tied to World Series dates in Toronto. “It reflects the huge influx of tourists who visited Toronto during the World Series,” the company said.
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The most striking figure came on Game 7, when bookings increased 154% compared to the same day the previous year.
The pattern began early. Ahead of Games 1 and 2 on October 24–25, Turo recorded notable spikes in airport bookings:
- 77% increase in bookings year-over-year two days before Game 1
- 71% increase the day before Game 1
When the series returned to Toronto for Games 6 and 7 on October 31–November 1, the trend held firm:
- 64% increase two days before
- 51% increase the day before
- 154% increase on game day
These jumps reflect a broader trend: sports tourism is projected to grow 18.2% between 2025 and 2035, according to the Sports Tourism Market Report.
Governments are paying attention. In Ontario, the provincial government provides funding to communities and sport organizations hosting national and international amateur competitions, citing sports tourism as an economic driver.
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Globally, traveller interest around sports is reshaping policy as well. Anticipated crowds for the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina have already prompted the Canadian government to update its travel advisory for Italy.
Consumer behaviour mirrors this shift. Nearly 44% of global sports fans travel internationally for events — a figure that rises to 56% among 16-to-34-year-olds — according to Expedia Group’s Sports Tourism Study. The research, conducted by Censuswide, surveyed 2,000 travellers from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the U.S., and the U.K., all of whom attended a sporting event in the past 12 months.
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Trip spending typically exceeds $1,500 per person, and three out of five fans stay outside the host city, dispersing economic impact beyond stadium districts.
Expedia noted that findings from the study “serve as a playbook for travel providers looking to capitalize on this high-value market.”
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