Did that tourism and economic windfall materialize? We rolled back the footage, reviewing hotel and short-term rental data, international visitor arrivals, flight bookings and spending data to create a list of winners and losers — and one draw.
WIN
Luxury Travel Companies
Ultra-high-net-worth travelers wanted in.
Private charter companies said that they were fielding many requests related to the World Cup, and noted increased overseas arrivals related to the matches. Rob Wiesenthal, the founder and chief executive of Blade, an aviation company best known for its helicopter service, said the tournament resulted in the “largest sustained volume that we’ve experienced due to a sporting event.”
The surge in private jet activity around the World Cup was pronounced, with 17 percent more flights to host cities during all stages of the tournament compared with last year, according to the business aviation tracker WINGX.
Luxury travel concierges, including Embark Beyond, said their clients often booked last minute, despite significantly higher prices for their tickets and hotel stays. Roman Chiporukha, a founder of Roman & Erica, said some clients based in the United States spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for tournament travel. Match tickets were often not even the largest expense, he said, adding that private jet charters could cost up to $80,000 one-way.