MILWAUKEE — Nearly a year after the City of Milwaukee was supposed to reel in hundreds of millions of dollars tied to the 2020 Democratic National Convention, the city and state are now basking in the coverage tied to the Milwaukee Bucks' NBA Finals run and the countless mentions and images broadcast around the world.

"It is incredible— it is certainly something we could not pay for nor do we have the budget to pay for that kind of exposure," Claire Koenig with Visit Milwaukee told Spectrum News 1. "We know media is here from around the worl.- I did an interview yesterday with an Italian newspaper which sent reporters to Milwaukee to cover this."

The media attention now helps to soften the blow that the pandemic had on Milwaukee, not just on the forced switch to a "digital" DNC last summer, but to bars, restaurants and hotels city-wide.

"We know sports travel is a huge segment and we know sports travelers are really good tourists," Koenig added.

You can watch the entire interview with Koenig above.