The 2026 FIFA World Cup wrapped after 104 matches and more than five weeks of competition across North America.
Join Tourism Economics for a data-led look at what happened across the US. What did hotel performance reveal across host markets and submarkets? Where and when was performance strongest, how did patterns differ across destinations and hotel segments, and what does the data tell us about an event of this magnitude?
We’ll take a look at how overseas visitation panned out, plus, the experience on the ground: from community engagement to the ways data informed decision-making and helped destinations prepare for and activate around the tournament.
Together, we’ll unpack the patterns, differences and lessons that emerged, and what destinations and the broader travel industry can take away from World Cup 2026.
This webinar is being held on our new platform, ON24. If you do not receive your confirmation email, please check your junk and spam folders.
Speakers
Cindy Decker
Cindy comes to Tourism Economics with nearly three decades of hospitality industry experience—25 years of which were spent as a revenue management leader for Marriott.
Prior to joining Tourism Economics in June 2023, Cindy served as Vice President of Business Intelligence and Market Strategy for Houston First Corporation. There she fostered collaboration across various sales, marketing and tourism teams to maximize revenue and bolster demand in the market using data and analysis.
Cindy’s deep, data-driven knowledge of tourism dynamics adds to the wealth of expertise on the Tourism Economics team. In her role as Senior Manager, Client Relations & Insights, she serves as a solution-oriented leader for destination clients, providing valuable business intelligence insights and strategic guidance for achieving organizational goals—especially as it relates to the Symphony Intelligence Platform.
Originally from Monterrey, Mexico, Cindy is a graduate of the University of Houston’s Conrad N. Hilton College and lives in Dripping Springs, Texas with her husband and three boys.
Senior Manager, Client Relationships and Insights at Tourism Economics
Patrick Smyton
Patrick Smyton is Director of Analytics at Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company. He works with destination marketing organizations (DMOs) using the Symphony platform, helping them make sense of complex data and use it to make better decisions. He manages a team that delivers research and analysis to destinations and travel industry stakeholders. Patrick has worked in tourism since 2005, with hands-on experience across hotel operations, destination marketing, finance, and revenue management. He started his career in Las Vegas with MGM Resorts International, then moved to Visit Seattle as Senior Director of Convention Strategy, where he used data to grow the city’s meetings and events business.
Director of Analytics at Tourism Economics
Andrew Turner
Andrew joined Tourism Economics in January 2023. His forecasts and research projects have informed international and national coverage, public policy deliberations, and client strategy across the U.S. tourism sector.
Prior to Tourism Economics, Andrew spent four years managing tens of millions of dollars in topline revenue for multiple short-term rental operators across more than 30 U.S. urban markets. His responsibilities included yield management, forecasting, algorithm performance analysis, and market expansion evaluation.
Andrew earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics with a minor in computer science from Montana State University.
Senior Economist at Tourism Economics
Martha J. Sheridan
Martha J. Sheridan is President & CEO of Meet Boston, bringing more than 30 years of destination marketing experience to the role. Since taking the helm, she rebranded the organization from the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau and quadrupled its operating budget. Sheridan recently became the first woman to Chair both Destinations International and its Foundation. A key driver behind securing seven FIFA World Cup 2026 matches in Massachusetts, she also brought the MICHELIN Guide to Greater Boston in 2025. Her honors include the Boston Business Journal's Power 50, Boston magazine's 150 Most Influential Bostonians, and induction into the Smart Women in Meetings Hall of Fame.
