Detroit plans for travel surge ahead of NFL draft

DETROIT – The excitement is building in downtown Detroit as more draft goers make their way into town.

“Over the next 24 hours, we’re going to start to see a lot more of the out-of-town fans coming to town, and by Wednesday, the city is going to be filled with people,” said Chris Moyer with Visit Detroit.

Visit Detroit anticipates a significant economic boost, with visitors projected to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars, a testament to the NFL draft’s impact on the city’s economy.

Hotel rooms in downtown Detroit are mostly booked. Moyer says some fans will stay at hotels in surrounding counties while others in Detroit have waitlists.

Airbnb says they still have plenty of availability for last-minute travelers despite seeing a 450% increase in searches in Detroit during the NFL draft.

Many of the guests booking for the Draft are from Michigan, places like Jackson, Saint Clair Shores and Grand Rapids. They’ve also seen quite a few people booked from Chicago and Toledo.

No matter where people come from, everyone hopes to see Detroit on the main stage, including 8-year-old Lorenzo Palac and his dad, who were checking out the progress on Campus Martius.

“We want to get a good look at there, where the inside, where all the lights are, and take a stroll downtown.”

The pair said this is likely as close as they’ll get to taking it all in.

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