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The 2026 FIFA World Cup was supposed to bring the world to America’s doorstep. According to industry estimates, over a million international visitors were expected to pour into host cities, dropping a collective $6.4 billion and spending close to $5,000 each.
But high airfares, and visa friction for travelers from Latin America, Africa, and Asia have kept the numbers below expectations.
As The Telegraph puts it, “the event might not be the once-in-a-generation tourism boom that Fifa’s Gianni Infantino and his ilk have been promising for much of the past four years.”
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The tourism slump isn’t just a World Cup problem though. The cracks were already there.
The US saw a 5.5% drop in foreign visits in 2025 compared to 2024, despite being the largest travel and tourism market in the world. Even as 80 million more people traveled internationally that year, many simply chose to go elsewhere.
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Pharmaceutical ads on TV for conditions I've never heard of. They're just making new stuff up to sell pills right?
The arcane tipping system. You tip the person who brings you food but not the one who makes the food?
Fetishisation of the military. They must hear "thank you for your service" 100 times a day.
Prices not including tax. Americans say it's because each state has different taxes, but what's stopping an individual store including taxes in their price tags?
This is changing now but why the penny still exists.
Obsession with being a taxpayer. Every time someone is angry they shout "I'm a taxpayer!" Yeah everyone is you jerk.
Experts believe that the US has larger issues as to why it still lags with international tourism, despite hosting the World Cup.
According to the US Travel Association, soaring costs for flights, gas, hotels, and food are actively forcing prospective visitors to rethink their trips.
Hard-line immigration crackdowns and safety concerns are also keeping some travelers away.
“To avoid losing its leadership position the US must invest in promoting its attractiveness, both in international markets and during the summer of football; change perception and position the US as a welcoming destination,” Gloria Guevara, president and CEO of World Travel and Tourism Council, said.
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We dragged this poor man into the most Austin experience you could have at the time… a tiny bar on a Sunday with every person you can imagine in Austin: hipsters, cowboys, goths, frat dudes, etc. Everyone grooving together while Dale Watson played, two stepping on the tiny dance floor. In the corner was a crockpot situation with make your own chili dogs. American football was playing on the tvs. The place was packed.
This was the day to come because Sundays is when they do chicken poo bingo. For this, they put plywood on top of the pool table with a numbered grid painted on it and chicken wire encapsulating it. For $1 you get a ticket with a number and wait. What are you waiting for? You’re waiting for the chicken that is in that bingo board cage to poo. And if that poo hits your number, you win. This is chicken poo bingo.
The look on this poor man’s face of the sheer, overstimulating Americanness of the situation was worth it. He was game and joined right in but you could just tell he was thinking what the hell am I doing here.
For the tourists who did come, America is delivering something no itinerary could have prepared them for.
The sticker shock hits first. Prices are higher than most visitors anticipated, and the tipping culture — expected on top of already steep bills — has left many fumbling at checkout screens.
In a survey, 90% reported that they would feel obliged to participate in tipping if they traveled to the US. On the other hand, 71% of non-Americans said that they do not experience pressure to tip when in their home countries.
But the surprises cut both ways. First-time visitors have been floored by the sheer size of everything from portions, roads, pickup trucks, to supermarkets. Some were charmed by the warmth of total strangers, the magic of a Buc-ee’s pit stop, and the variety of food joints.
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• The huge yellow school buses, they thought that was just in the movies
• Iced sweet tea and free refills—I can just ask for another one?? One mom even asked me for the “recipe” after her child returned home.
• How far apart everything is
• Ceiling fans, and in every room, they thought this was revolutionary
• Every single building is air-conditioned
• The lack of nearby large places to hike and walk without taking a drive there
• Portion sizes
• Every kid having a smartphone
• Kids are rarely alone without parents—e.g. they don’t bike to school, or walk and wander around town together
They also have a fixation on Raising Cane’s. 🤷🏼♀️.
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Culture shock is a psychological response to the loss of familiar social cues. It’s a feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes.
“It’s easy to attribute culture shock to external causes i.e. how ‘different’ our new environment is, but the truth is that culture shock is more about internal factors like how big we perceive the culture gap to be and how effective our coping skills are,” says Dr. Nicola Cann, an educational psychologist.
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The food is an experience.
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You would think reading Reddit or watching TikTok would prepare travelers, but research shows it doesn’t.
The shock usually follows a pattern. First comes the high where everything feels exciting and new. Then reality sets in, and the small frustrations start to pile up. After that, a quiet adjustment. And finally, acceptance.
Research shows that most visitors never make it past stage two on a short trip.
Experts believe that although not all people experience these stages with the same intensity or at the same time, everyone experiences all of them at some point.
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Then I tried to watch a bit of TV at night in the hotel: wholly hell there was an advert lasting 15 minutes for every 5 minutes of programming. Don't know why anyone bothers.
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I could only go to the toilet in my hotelroom.
We’ve all heard about intelligence quotient (IQ) and emotional intelligence (EQ), but have you heard of cultural intelligence or CQ?
It’s your ability to function and thrive in unfamiliar cultural settings.
Experts believe that CQ can help us adapt to culture shock. The higher our CQ, the lesser the effect of culture shock on our ability to cope in new situations.
A study tracking travelers across 50 countries found that empathy and personality play a significant role in how much stress people experience abroad. The more open and agreeable you are, the softer the landing.
Relationships are the other big factor — the more genuine connections you build with locals, the faster the adjustment.