FIFA World Cup impact: Mixed financial results seen in Atlanta
World Cup Atlanta impact detailed by tourism officials
The FIFA World Cup has triggered a unique booking surge across the Atlanta hospitality sector.
ATLANTA - The arrival of the FIFA World Cup is creating a varied financial reality for Atlanta businesses, with some shops seeing record crowds while independent street vendors struggle to attract customers.
What we know:
Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau CEO and President William Pate noted that officials initially expected downtown hotels to stay completely full every single day of the group stage. Instead, traffic relies heavily on a late-booking crowd with stronger trends during the knockout rounds of the FIFA World Cup.
According to tourism data, 40% of hotel rooms were secured within the last four weeks alone, with demand building steadily since the England and DRC match. International visitors account for 8% of those bookings.
According to the Convention and Visitors bureau,400,000 hotel room nights in the city of Atlanta are either booked or blocked for the period of June 13–July 16. Meanwhile, short-term rentals across the city reached an all-time high, climbing to just short of 100,000 properties.
What we don't know:
While the city brand is seeing a massive lift, officials do not yet know the exact total revenue generated by the independent street vendors who struggled to turn a profit.
At Steele Bridge in South Downtown, just a half mile from the stadium, the bridge that hosted vendors at the start of the tournament resembled a ghost town after several vendors chose not to return on Tuesday following days of slow business.
What they're saying:
A block away from the quiet vendor spots, brick-and-mortar businesses are thriving. Kimberly Singleton, owner of Bottle Rocket Bar and Grill, which moved to Mitchell Street in a revitalized South Downtown two months ago, described the impact as "amazing, everything we expected and more."
Similarly, Hunter Mowen of Hell, Yeah Gluten Free Bakery in Sweet Auburn reported an uptick in business, noting that customers are walking all the way from various downtown hotels. The bakery team used an Invest Atlanta grant to set up the shop three months ago and aggressively introduced themselves to local hotel concierges ahead of the tournament.
However, the experience is not uniform. At Boston Fish Supreme in Castleberry Hill, located a half mile in the opposite direction, owner Al-Hassan Futa stated business has been only "It's alright, only a few people."
What's next:
Despite the mixed bag for small retailers, tourism officials state the tournament is an unqualified success for the city brand. Both The Athletic and USA Today voted Mercedes-Benz Stadium as the number one venue in the World Cup, and local fan festivals continue to set all-time attendance records.
Tourism leaders assert that outperforming expectations on these global measures will secure major convention and sports business for the city moving forward.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from statements and data provided by Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau CEO and President William Pate, economic forecasts from the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, and direct interviews with local business owners in downtown Atlanta, Castleberry Hill, and Sweet Auburn.