The World Cup fan invasion is nowhere to be seen, a new report has claimed.
Travel industry figures have been left flummoxed by the number of fans heading to the U.S., amid sky-rocketing ticket prices and challenges for visitors trying to get through the border.
Vijay Dandapani, CEO of the Hotel Association of New York City, said that it is “overall a disappointment. There’s no other word that I can say,” he told Reuters.
He revealed to the agency that the association has cut its expected World Cup revenue by 60 percent.
He added that despite initial predictions of 1.2 million fans arriving in the city, it now thinks that number is more likely to be half a million, as windfalls long anticipated by the sector are unlikely to materialize.
It has led to the city’s largest hotel, the New York Hilton Midtown, slashing its December advertised price by around half, to $415, Dandapani said.
One New York resident said he was surprised by how few fans he’d noticed around. David, 29, lives in Brooklyn and told the Daily Beast that he’d “Seen a lot of Morocco fans, but not much else yet. There’s been almost no buzz or buildup as far as I’ve seen.”
Reuters reports that analytics firm CoStar says hotel bookings have risen just 0.5 percent in host cities compared to last year.
Reuters also cited aviation analytics firm Cirium, which said flights from European countries to U.S. cities hosting games were down 3.8 percent from last year. Last year’s data already reflects a drop in numbers following the administration’s changes to travel policies.
The final is set to be held in New York, however the Big Apple has seen a 15.8 percent drop in flights compared to last year, according to Cirium.
It comes amid a crippling travel ban system implemented by President Donald Trump, which restricts access from around 40 countries worldwide.
The continent most heavily affected by the bans is Africa, which has a record-breaking 10 teams playing at this year’s tournament.
Fans from Iraq have reported not being able to use their country’s consular links with the U.S., despite not being on the banned list, because of the war with Iran having led to heightened security concerns in the region.
Meanwhile, fans in Scotland have anecdotally reported being hit by last-minute changes to their approved ESTA applications, which saw them flip back to pending just days before they were due to fly across the Atlantic.
Customs and Border Protection even denied one of FIFA’s referees entry to the country, claiming he was connected to “suspected members of terror organizations.”
To make the trip even less appealing, the cheapest tickets in host cities like New York and Miami now cost around $1,000, Reuters reports.
Speaking to the agency, England superfan and author of the book That World Cup Guy, Andy Milne, said that “Some fans are skipping the World Cup altogether.
“Friends of mine are heading to Ibiza to watch every match on TV for a fraction of the price. Others are going to Vegas. It’ll still cost money, but far less than tickets, travel, hotels and transport to the stadiums.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and Hilton for comment.
