The hotels cut their earning estimates by 60 percent. European flights were booked 3.8 percent lower than before. New York is anticipating only half the anticipated crowd that FIFA had estimated. Ticket prices hover around $1,000. Visa fears that its measures will keep people out. The much-awaited US travel event is facing a very discouraging start.
Travel and tourism prospects for US hotels and carriers going into the first day of the World Cup 2026 turned out to be disappointing, according to industry sources, using that very term used by the chief executive officer of the Hotel Association of New York City. For decades, the US travel industry had hoped for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of a record-breaking boost in tourism from one of the most widely followed sporting events hosted in three countries with 16 host cities. At the eleventh hour before kick off, the influx of spectators awaited had not materialized, and prices were slashed. The $60 million projected room revenue for the city of New York was now only half that expected previously.
Projected 1.2 million, Expected 500,000
FIFA estimated that about 1.2 million people will flood New York for the World Cup, including its final game, on July 19th. According to the Hotel Association of New York City, only an estimated 500,000 visitors will attend the event, which is less than half the estimated numbers by FIFA. This means fewer occupied hotel rooms and cheap flights with planes filled less than capacity. The biggest hotel in New York called New York Hilton Midtown has been forced to reduce its room costs from December 2025 rates to only $415 per night, which is less than half the cost.
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Hopes Still Alive for Hotels
Despite the disappointment of lackluster attendance for the World Cup 2026 travel and tourism in US hotels and airlines, there is still some hope left. Dandapani highlighted some increased booking from UK and Norway supporters – “that’s a good sign.” The hotels believe that now that the groups matches are over and the knockout matches become definite, supporters whose teams have qualified would book the tickets which they have been delaying until now. Wealthy spectators, who usually make premium travel purchases during any big sporting event, have been delaying their bookings due to the qualification of their teams.
This, however, is a problem of logistics. Even if tickets were to be reduced to half their price before some of the most important matches are played, the issue for the last-minute, internationally traveling fans will remain the cost and difficulty associated with air transportation, accommodation, and local transport services. This was the view of Dana Lattouf, the chief executive officer of the UK ticket supplier Tickitto. The story of the World Cup 2026 travel and tourism experience remains to be written but even as the event progresses and hotel prices are slashed to only half what was expected, that story has been laid out in the initial numbers.
