World Cup Didn’t Boost International Visitors In June—Here’s Why It Matters
www.forbes.com
The World Cup is delivering a big revenue boost for FIFA but not so much for the United States economy—as international tourists have not turned up in promised numbers.
  • While the World Cup group stage (June 11-27) was taking place, overall international arrivals to the U.S. in June were essentially flat (+0.2%) compared to a year ago, according to data from the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) in the Commerce Department.
  • Arrivals in June were down year over year from Europe (-1.2%) and Asia (-5.6%), two regions that consistently dominate overseas arrivals, while arrivals were up from lower-volume regions: Africa (+13.8%) and South America (+4.7%), according to NTTO data.
  • Hotels in World Cup host cities raised room rates, but did not see an increase in occupancy or room demand, according to CoStar, the industry benchmarking and analytics firm.
  • A FIFA analysis predicted the World Cup would inject $30.5 billion into the U.S. economy—but its calculation counted on a huge influx of international fans, who spend much more per person than U.S.-based fans.
  • FIFA is set to take in $9 billion in revenue, according to an analysis by Bloomberg Intelligence.
  • Lydon_Feen
    4·
    2 days ago

    Fuck prestige.

    If it doesn’t turn a profit or at least breaks even, it’s pointless and literally a way for FIFA, UEFA, or the IOC to make a killing.

    Everybody else gets fucked and left with the bill

    • Hegar@fedia.io
      2·
      2 days ago

      Oh of course. But “Everybody else gets fucked and left with the bill” is the case with everything a nation-state does. Thats like the whole point.