With the World Cup about to take over cities across the United States, a new report has cast doubt on the expected tourism windfall. A recent report from the American Hotel and Lodging Association found that hotel bookings are well below expectations in almost every host city. The finding tempers the assumption that the tournament would automatically deliver a major boost to travel and tourism.
The report pointed to specific reasons for the muted demand. It cited US visa barriers and the war in Iran as key factors holding back international visitors. It went further by warning that those same factors could severely impact hotels in the United States during the tournament.
Not everyone reads the numbers as a warning sign. Alan Fyall, the Visit Orlando Endowed Chair of Tourism Marketing at the University of Central Florida, described the report as a very credible resource, but framed it as a reality check rather than a verdict. He suggested its timing was significant.
According to Fyall, the report came out just as FIFA was releasing a large number of rooms it had booked many months in advance. He also argued that such figures miss a big part of the picture, because in many cases they exclude all the people staying with visiting friends and relatives or in Airbnb rentals. That, he said, distorts how the demand actually looks.
He was also doubtful that the war in Iran would keep many fans away. Asked how the conflict factors into attendance, Fyall said he was not sure it impacts too many people at all. In his view, the pull of the World Cup tends to override whatever forces are thrown at it as the event approaches.
Fyall expects a sharp, late pick-up in demand. He said that in these tournaments you tend to see a very sudden surge as the date nears, and the competition starts this week. As evidence of that momentum, he pointed to weekend crowds of around 90,000 and a 64,000 sellout for matches involving the United States and Germany.
He also pushed back on the idea that football's lower profile in the US and Canada would hold the event back. Fyall argued the sport is far bigger than many realise, saying that by some statistics it is now as big as baseball. On that basis, he expects the tournament to draw enough critical mass to be a success, even if some people are surprised by it.