NCAA Tournament Brings Boost To Tulsa Hotels

NewsOn6.com

TULSA, Oklahoma -- Tulsa is still counting up the money the NCAA Tournament brought to town.

3/21/2011 Related Story: NCAA Tournament: Was It The Final Buzzer For Tulsa?

The Chamber says it was a definite boost for hotels. Some say the number of people staying jumped 80 percent compared to this time last year. With rooms in such demand, prices also rose 10 percent.

"It's certainly a major boost to our hospitality industry and it paints a very clear picture why VisitTulsa and the Tulsa Sports Commission programs are so vital to the economic health and well-being of our city, our county and our region," said Mike Neal. with the Tulsa Metro Chamber.

The Tulsa Metro Chamber is looking to keep the ball rolling by hiring the man it says was instrumental in making the tournament a success.

Ray Hoyt is the new leader of VisitTulsa, the convention and visitor's bureau. His job will be to attract new and exciting events to Tulsa that will attract tourists and their dollars to the area.