Houston eyes tourists ahead of turn as host for Final Four, Super Bowl

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Houston is slated for an influx of attention, visitors, and money, thanks to two big sporting events.

The NCAA Final Four tournament is scheduled for April at NRG Park, and Super Bowl 51 is set to roll into town next year.

At Visit Houston, they're increasing their marketing efforts in hopes of capitalizing on the exposure. They recently teamed up with the homegrown band "The Suffers" to film a commercial.

The commercial, which is planned for release next month, highlights Houston. It will air throughout Texas and Louisiana. The goal is draw in more visitors. In 2014, 14.8 million people visited our city according to officials.

The Suffers' lead singer Kam Franklin said the commercial features their song "Good Day." She's excited to help bring more attention on H-Town.

"It (Houston) is a little harder to sell when you're comparing it to an Austin or San Antonio because I feel as though society has sold that to people. Houston has been left on the back burner," said Franklin. "But when you come through and see all the beautiful people and taste the beautiful food, you say, 'Why have I been staying away for so long?'"

The Suffers are scheduled to appear on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" tomorrow night.

Outside of the marketing push, you can see real change in downtown Houston.

Eight new hotels are expected to come online before Super Bowl 51. Those hotels mean about 3,000 more rooms. That lone sporting event is estimated to have at least a $400 million impact.

Mike Waterman serves as president of Visit Houston. He released the following statement to abc13: "With Final Four in April and Super Bowl in February 2017, the next 12 months is Houston's opportunity to shine. We know we will see a major economic impact from these events in terms of visitors but we will also benefit from the incredible attention that will be focused here from the media. And we are ready to capitalize on that attention."