FIFA—Not U.S. Economy—Is Big World Cup Winner So Far

While the World Cup group stage (June 11-27) was taking place, overall international arrivals to the U.S. in June were essentially flat (+0.2%) compared to a year ago, according to data from the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) in the Commerce Department.

Arrivals in June were down year over year from Europe (-1.2%) and Asia (-5.6%), two regions that consistently dominate overseas arrivals, while arrivals were up from lower-volume regions: Africa (+13.8%) and South America (+4.7%), according to NTTO data.