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Passionate Mexican fans enjoy the World Cup atmosphere right in their home stadium on June 12th. |
The 2026 World Cup was once seen as a golden opportunity to boost the US tourism industry. However, as the tournament began, the economic boost that the world's biggest sporting event was expected to bring has yet to materialize, according to Reuters .
Many hotels and accommodations have reduced room rates to stimulate demand, but the expected number of fans has yet to appear. Demand for airline tickets has also decreased amid soaring ticket prices for matches. According to industry experts, the excitement surrounding this year's tournament is significantly lower than in previous World Cups.
Disappointed
This development shows that the familiar formula that once helped the World Cup generate a global tourism boom is facing obstacles. Instead of readily spending lavishly to follow their favorite team, many fans are considering the high costs, visa barriers, and difficulties in traveling between the 16 host cities across three countries.
Meanwhile, domestic American tourists have also failed to fill the void, as soccer doesn't have the same appeal as in Europe or South America. "This is a real disappointment. I don't know what other words to use," said Vijay Dandapani, CEO of the New York Hotel Association.
According to him, the association had to reduce its forecast for hotel room revenue related to the World Cup by 60%, to around $60 million .
| HOTEL BOOKINGS IN THE 2026 WORLD CUP HOST CITIES | |||||||||||
| Source: Reuters | |||||||||||
| Label | Atlanta | Boston | Dallas | Houston | Mexico City | New York | Toronto | Vancouver | Los Angeles | Seattle | |
| Booking volume | % | -6 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 13 | -13 | -8 | -14 | 5 | -2 |
Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium also showed that bookings from Europe to most host cities in June and July decreased by an average of 3.8% compared to the same period last year. In New York alone, where the final match is scheduled for July 19th, bookings from Europe fell by as much as 15.8%.
FIFA had previously predicted that around 1.2 million fans would flock to New York during the tournament. However, according to Mr. Dandapani, the New York Hotel Association now only expects to welcome around 500,000. Although there has been a slight increase in bookings from English and Norwegian fans recently, he believes this is only an initial positive sign.
Hotels were still expecting a last-minute surge in demand after the group stage ended. However, current figures do not yet reflect that trend. According to analytics firm CoStar, average bookings in host cities have only increased by 0.5% year-on-year.
In New York, many hotels have started lowering room rates. According to Mr. Dandapani, the New York Hilton Midtown – the city's largest hotel – has halved its room rates during the World Cup, to around $415 per night compared to the rates listed in December.
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Previously, Hilton stated that bookings remained strong thanks to the New York market. Marriott also suggested that there was still room for growth in bookings as the matchups for the final stages of the tournament were yet to be determined. However, many fans have decided to abandon their plans to travel to the US.
"Some of my friends chose to go to Ibiza (Spain) to watch all the matches on television, which was much cheaper than going to the US to watch the World Cup in person. Others went to Las Vegas, which still cost money but was much cheaper than buying match tickets, plane tickets, hotels, and transportation to the stadium," said Andy Milne, a famous England fan and author of the book That World Cup Guy .
A rare bright spot
Even high-spending travelers, who have been driving the US tourism industry recently, are waiting to see which opponents or results their favorite team will play before deciding to book a trip, according to the luxury sports travel company Roadtrips.
Fans from more than half of the countries that qualified for the World Cup must apply for visas to enter the United States. This increases costs and uncertainty for travelers already concerned about stricter border controls.
FIFA's ticketing policy has also displeased many fans. The organizers applied record-high starting prices and, for the first time, implemented a flexible pricing mechanism, allowing ticket prices to increase as demand approaches. In addition, allowing ticket resale without price limits has driven up costs and attracted the attention of regulatory bodies.
According to TicketData, the cheapest tickets in host cities like New York and Miami are now approaching $1,000 .
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Signposts indicating the designated area for 2026 World Cup fans were installed at Union Station, one of Los Angeles' largest transportation hubs, on June 10th. |
Dana Lattouf, CEO of Tickitto, a UK-based ticket distributor, believes that even if ticket prices were halved close to major matches, demand would likely not surge significantly because international fans would still face the costs and procedures of booking flights, hotels, and obtaining visas within a short timeframe.
While hotels and airlines are struggling, the short-term rental market has emerged as a rare bright spot. Airbnb says the 2026 World Cup is on track to become the highest-demand event in the platform's history.
According to data from analytics firm AirDNA, bookings for short-term rental properties, particularly in the budget and mid-range segments, are increasing in many host cities such as Boston and Los Angeles.
The average price for pre-booked rooms in World Cup host cities is currently $218 per night. Meanwhile, travelers who booked in early June had to pay around $335 per night as hosts increased prices to capitalize on last-minute demand.
"There's no denying that the World Cup is creating additional demand for tourism and leisure in all the host cities," said Jamie Lane, an economist at AirDNA.
Source: https://znews.vn/world-cup-2026-e-am-khach-du-lich-o-my-post1659128.html
