Elite Sports Tours is a sports travel agency that provides travel packages to major sporting events, including MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA, MLS, PGA, Formula 1, UFC, and College Basketball and Football. We provide fans with bucket list road trips to see their sports team play live. Our company’s mission is to make sports travel easier for fans looking to travel to unfamiliar cities to cheer on their team without the hassle. Travelling to a new city can be intimidating, and we want to make it easier for fans to travel and have confidence when booking hotels and tickets to sporting events.
Tell us about yourself?
I started Elite Sports Tours in 2008, right out of University, when I saw an opportunity to service a growing market. 15 years later, Sports Travel is one of the hottest industries, and the Sports Tourism Market size is expected to grow by USD 559.75 billion from 2022 to 2027. I started this business as an avid sports fan and was passionate about helping sports fans with the same passion for their teams. Being able to travel with other sports fans of the same team has led to making lifelong friendships with clients who have supported the businesses for years. That’s the rewarding part of the business that I didn’t anticipate being one of the most fulfilling parts of the job.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
Keep going. The pandemic hit our company pretty hard, and we watched a lot of travel businesses disappear. With the strong customer base and ability to diversify as a business, we have managed to come out of the pandemic stronger than ever before. We are still growing and navigating the industry after the pandemic, but we are a lot further down the road to recovery and seeing fans travel in record numbers.
What problem does your business solve?
We provide a marketplace for sports fans to book travel packages with event tickets in one place. We connect sports fans to unique experiences that create memories that last a lifetime.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
The inspiration came from being a sports fan myself. Travelling to cheer on the Toronto Raptors in different cities on the road in college, the whole concept came from something I was already doing on my own. The goal was to create something that could make the entire experience of sourcing tickets, finding a hotel in a city you aren’t familiar with and making it simple for fans. Providing clients with knowledge of where the best places to stay based on price, location, and other things to ensure their experience is a positive one.
What is your magic sauce?
We are sports fans ourselves. There isn’t a city, event, or place in North America our team hasn’t gone to watch a game themselves. You hire a sherpa to guide you up Mount Everest for a reason. You pay them for the knowledge, experience, and peace of mind.
We send thousands of fans every year to sporting events, providing them with custom curated experiences that deliver memories for a lifetime. Elite Sports Tours team pride ourselves on being a Canadian business. With most professional sports teams being in the U.S.A., we have a ton of experience sending international travellers to destinations across the U.S.A. to watch sports live. Our team can recommend all the great local attractions, the best hotels, and ways to get around the city.
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
Elite Sports Tours is focusing on growing our products across the U.S.A. and Internationally. With the rise of new sports teams, leagues, and events across professional sports, Elite Sports Tours is investing in growing our technology products to better service our clients. Giving them access to a plethora of sporting events and packages at their fingertips. Our team is excited about a variety of products and partnerships we have lined up for sports fans in the coming years. Stay tuned!
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
The Pandemic. We had to reshape our staff, product offerings, market and business practices. The pandemic forced our business to learn how to take a few punches and stay in the game. It showed us who on our team are resilient and part of the solution. It allowed our organization to further adopt technology and become a more digital company.
A good business is able to pivot and problem-solve. Nothing ever runs in a straight line. You have to improvise and adapt to your clients and the market.
How can people get involved?
You can support Elite Sports Tours by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @EliteSportsTours, and book your Sports Travel Packages with Elite Sports Tours by visiting our website at www.elitesportstours.com.