Sketchy Kansas City World Cup 650K Visitor Estimate Debunked?!?

The main point that most readers will take away . . .

VISIT KC CLAIMS KCMO WILL GET MORE VISITORS THAN PHILLY, BOSTON, HOUSTON & ATL AMID WORLD CUP 2026!!!

The claim is dubious at best and kinda feels like false advertising. 

Visit KC is so infamous for these optimistic projections that they earned a historic meme for their irrational exuberance . . .  

And so . . .

This week the biz journal took the local tourism agency for a number that everyone knows is FAKE.

Here's a quote from the report that offers important context for the local conversation  . . .  

"That 650,000-visitor figure has loomed large across the board locally, informing government transit, logistics and security preparations, as well as hotel, restaurant and shop expectations for spending boosts. But the local estimate is greater than those for some larger host cities. Philadelphia estimates it will have 500,000 visitors, Boston and Houston project 450,000 each, and Atlanta and Toronto estimate 300,000 each."

And here's a quote that hints at how the calculation was achieved inasmuch as they're not really saying: 

"The number originates from Visit KC, which says it is based on 2.1 million total visitor days — or one visitor spending one day in the bistate region — between mid-June and mid-July. It refers to 650,000 unique nonresidents visiting during pre-event buildup, on matchdays and at Fan Festival gatherings.

Visit KC declined to share its specific methodology for estimating visitors, saying it is proprietary information. The nonprofit tourism organization said its calculation is informed, in part, by FIFA host city planning materials; city-specific travel and lodging trends, such as hotel occupancy and future airline bookings; and international benchmarks from past large-scale sporting events, such as the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament in Germany and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

KC Biz Journal: KC organizers estimate 650,000 World Cup visitors — more than some larger host cities

Skip the paywall and read by way of Internet archive or public library card.

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