Jacksonville’s March sports calendar projected to generate nearly $55 million and lift tourism activity

A clustered run of tournaments and signature events is expected to drive visitor spending across Duval County

Jacksonville is entering one of its busiest sports stretches of the year, with organizers projecting nearly $55 million in economic impact tied to a concentrated calendar of events this month. The estimate reflects anticipated visitor spending on lodging, dining, transportation and entertainment, as well as event-related operational activity that supports local jobs.

The surge comes as Jacksonville continues to position sports tourism as a pillar of its broader visitor economy. In recent years, city-backed tourism and sports entities have expanded bidding efforts and incentive programs aimed at landing higher-attendance competitions that generate hotel room nights and off-venue spending, particularly in downtown and nearby commercial corridors.

Key events drawing athletes, fans and traveling teams

Among the major drivers this month are collegiate postseason basketball tournaments staged in Jacksonville. The Atlantic Sun Conference men’s tournament and the ASUN women’s tournament both used Jacksonville venues for significant portions of their brackets, bringing multiple teams, staff members and traveling supporters into the market over several days. Multi-day tournaments typically produce repeated demand for rooms and meals, especially when games are scheduled across consecutive sessions.

Another major draw is the Gate River Run, Jacksonville’s long-running 15K road race. The event routinely attracts a mix of elite and recreational runners, and it is paired with an expo that brings additional foot traffic and retail activity. For 2026, race-week logistics included changes to the expo location and related transportation planning, creating additional operational needs and spillover activity in surrounding areas.

• Collegiate basketball tournaments hosted in Jacksonville venues over multiple days
• The Gate River Run weekend, including runner participation and the accompanying expo
• Ancillary events and local programming that build around sports weekends

How economic impact estimates are typically built

Projected impact figures for sports events are generally derived from expected attendance, the share of visitors arriving from outside the region, average length of stay, and estimated per-person spending. Analysts frequently distinguish between direct visitor spending (such as hotel and restaurant purchases) and wider ripple effects as local businesses and workers re-spend some of that income. Because projections rely on assumptions about travel behavior and spending patterns, final results can vary based on weather, team matchups, last-minute travel decisions and hotel pricing.

Economic-impact projections for event clusters are most sensitive to out-of-market attendance and hotel demand, since overnight visitors typically account for the largest share of incremental spending.

Tourism and downtown activity in the spotlight

City tourism planning has increasingly emphasized events that encourage overnight stays and fill rooms during traditionally softer periods on the calendar. Sports weekends can also concentrate activity into entertainment districts, supporting restaurants, bars, rideshare traffic and venue-adjacent businesses. Organizers and hospitality operators will be watching not only headline attendance, but also hotel occupancy and average daily rates, which can be strong indicators of whether projected gains translate into measurable tax collections and business revenue.

With multiple sports draws arriving in quick succession, Jacksonville’s performance this month is expected to offer an early snapshot of how effectively the city can convert event volume into sustained tourism momentum heading into the spring and summer travel season.