World Cup Semifinals Lift U.S. Host-City Spending 5% as Argentina Flight Bookings Jump 46%
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Jul 14
World Cup Semifinals Lift U.S. Host-City Spending 5% as Argentina Flight Bookings Jump 46%
3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Jul 14
Summary
U.S. host cities are getting a late World Cup boost as semifinal matchups in Dallas and Atlanta spur last-minute fan travel and spending.
Bank of America card data showed in-person spending in host cities rose 5% from June 10 to July 5 versus a year earlier, with restaurants and bars among the strongest gainers.
Hotel and rental demand strengthened as the tournament advanced: Kansas City RevPAR climbed nearly 50%, Philadelphia weekend RevPAR topped 74%, and knockout-stage demand rose 2.4% even with 50% fewer matches.
Argentina is driving some of the sharpest late bookings, with flights to U.S. host cities up nearly 46% year over year since kickoff and bookings to Atlanta up about 108%.
The surge eased early worries over soft advance reservations, though occupancy in host cities fell almost 3% during the final group-stage week and FIFA still had roughly 1,200 final tickets listed at $7,380 late last week.