Host cities steer into World Cup headwinds: ‘We didn’t work 10 years for this to be a flop,’ KC tourism leader says

Whether visitors come from across the country or around the globe, Kansas City is prepared to land the plane when the World Cup arrives this summer, said Kathy Nelson, acknowledging geopolitical strife and President Trump’s visa policy are making the U.S. a less attractive destination for international travelers.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for us,” Nelson, president and CEO of Visit KC, told reporters Thursday following the group’s Annual Tourism Outlook event. “We didn’t work 10 years for this to be a flop.”

A woman directs attendees to seating during Visit KC’s aviation-themed Annual Tourism Outlook event; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Tourism officials have stuck with projections of 650,000 visitors headed for Kansas City in June and July to attend FIFA World Cup matches and the accompanying FIFA Fan Festival planned for the grounds at Liberty Memorial. But as data continues to roll in, estimates are being tweaked to reflect an expectation that more travelers will arrive from other U.S. cities than from international fan bases.

“We’ve never done anything like this before,” Nelson noted Thursday during the tourism update at Municipal Auditorium. “Nor have we ever experienced all of this at a federal and international level. We have a lot of work to do in the next 30 days to welcome those visitors. And maybe there’s more visitors from Chicago and Minneapolis and Arkansas and Oklahoma than there are now from Argentina and Germany. We don’t know yet.”

Skeptics pounced on news this week from the American Hotel and Lodging Association that Kansas City hotel bookings for the World Cup are among the lowest of all host cities.

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Now is not the time to panic, Nelson said, noting demand is growing — and all host cities are experiencing similar shifts in booking patterns. (Similar headlines popped up this week in such far-flung World Cup destinations as Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle.)

“People are coming to our city to experience the biggest sports event in the world,” she continued. “There are people coming here, no matter what. There may be a little fewer people, but that’s still hundreds of thousands of people. So no matter what, it’s time to embrace what’s about to happen.”

Kathy Nelson, president and CEO of Visit KC, shares insights from early World Cup traveler data during Visit KC’s Annual Tourism Outlook event; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

A changing environment for American tourism has required host cities to navigate new challenges on a daily basis, Nelson told the crowd at the event.

“Research from MMGY’s new portrait of the European traveler finds that 55% of European travelers find the United States less appealing for leisure travelers because of the country’s foreign and domestic policy,” she explained. “A new visa bond program requires deposits of up to $15,000 per individual for entry from several countries, including two countries that are playing in Kansas City, Tunisia and Algeria.”

“We are working hard with Destinations International and U.S. Travel to advocate for federal policy changes that are welcoming our potential visitors,” she continued. “But it’s no secret that all of us host cities continue to face headwinds despite our efforts.”

A fan stands tall amid a crowd gathered in December 2025 in the Live! Block at Power and Light for Kansas City’s FIFA World Cup Final Draw rally; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

And plenty of positive indicators remain abundant for Kansas City, Nelson noted.

Sojourn, a leading data platform in the travel industry, reports 31% growth in confirmed flight bookings to Kansas City compared to this time last year. Leading markets include Argentina, Ecuador and Canada, she detailed. And Trip Advisor reports that Kansas City’s share of total U.S. demand has grown 19% in 2026 compared to 2025.

“Increases from key international markets are substantial,” she continued. “The Netherlands have grown more than 100%, Argentina more than 650%, and Ecuador more than 1100%.”

And Kansas City’s central location in the U.S. positions it well to own this opportunity unlike anyone else, Nelson added.

“We’ve always relied on our geographic location as an advantage,” she explained. “We are within a day’s drive of 50 million Americans, and in many ways, that audience is more important than ever.”

No matter where the visitors come from, Nelson said, this is an unprecedented and unmatched moment to introduce more of the world to the Heart of America, Nelson said.

“We lead with the World Cup, but we continue with everything Kansas City has to offer,” she said. “From jazz and barbecue to the stories of our past, and the investments leading us into the future.”

Mayor Quinton Lucas joins discussion of Kansas City’s World Cup readiness during Visit KC’s Annual Tourism Outlook event; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

On top of insights about the World Cup, during the event, Visit KC shared several 2025 tourism highlights, including an economic impact of $4 billion in annual visitor spending and $280.5 million in local sales tax revenue. Each day, tourism generates $10.8 million in daily spending from the estimated 78,000 daily visitors to the local area.

Visit KC also presented the Kansas City Tourism Icon Award to the KC Streetcar, recognizing the organization’s outstanding service to visitors and the community as it extends south to the campus of the University of Missouri-Kansas City and — soon — north to the emerging riverfront and CPKC Stadium.

“The KC Streetcar has fundamentally changed tourism in Kansas City,” Nelson noted. “And with two significant extensions, that impact will continue to grow.”