At an ALIS DESIGN+,
leaders for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics and Paralympic
Games discuss the impact and legacy that both events will have on LA’s
hospitality industry and the region.
LOS ANGELES — As Los Angeles is
preparing to host two of the world’s largest sporting events — the 2028 Summer
Olympics and Paralympic Games and as one of 16 host cities for the 2026 FIFA
World Cup — executives involved with both events talked about preparation,
demand drivers and the lasting impacts both events will have on the city.
As part of the ALIS DESIGN+ by
Northstar event in Los Angeles, Allison Katz-Mayfield, senior vice president of
games delivery revenue for LA28, the organizing committee for the 2028 Summer
Olympic and Paralympic Games, and Jason Krutzsch, vice president of marketing
and communications for the Los Angeles Sports and Entertainment Commission,
which is the host committee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, took part in a session
moderated by Adam Burke, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism &
Convention Board.
Katz-Mayfield said the impact of
the 17 days of the Summer Olympics plus the 10 days of the Paralympic Games is
obvious, but she also said not to underestimate the demand drivers involved
with the lead-up to the Games, either.
If you look at London the three to four years before [it hosted the 2012 Olympics], they saw an incremental 3 million room nights in hotels utilized than normal... So there’s that impact in the lead-up and the demand during that period, and then obviously culminating when we get to the games.
Allison Katz-Mayfield
“If you look at London the three
to four years before [it hosted the 2012 Olympics], they saw an incremental 3
million room nights in hotels utilized because it's not like we
just show up for opening ceremonies and it’s the first time any federation is
coming here,” she said. “So, there’s that impact in the lead-up and the demand
during that period, and then obviously culminating when we get to the Games.”
Katz-Mayfield said what’s
fascinating if you look at Los Angeles’ 2017 bid for the games is what the
venue plan was then, or even what the hotel landscape looked like at the time.
“You look at this many years
later. We have new venues that we didn’t even contemplate during the time
that we’re now using. We have venues that are undergoing renovations,” she
said. “We have impacts to transportation infrastructure, not anything that’s
requested by LA28 specifically or funded by LA28, but obviously, with
everything happening in the city over the next couple of years and culminating
with the Games, that is going to improve that experience for people coming into
the city.”
People don’t always know the
full local impact the Olympics will have on a city and region the size of Los
Angeles, Katz-Mayfield said.
“It’s a city that’s built for
this type of scale,” she said. “We are tapping into both older and iconic
venues that have hosted before.” (LA will be hosting the Olympics for an
unprecedented third time.)
Los Angeles will also be making
some history in terms of ESG impact for the Summer Olympics.
“It’ll be one of the first games
to do no permanent new-builds for venues, which is huge for sustainability
purposes and showing how going forward, we can responsibly host a Games like
this at this scale,” she said.
Burke noted that travelers with
disabilities are one of the fastest-growing segments in travel and one of the
most underserved. This is where hosting the Paralympic Games could also create
an opportunity for the LA market, Katz-Mayfield said.
“Obviously one of [the
Paralympic Games’] big pieces is how they give a lasting legacy in the city
they go to from an accessibility standpoint,” she said.
Katz-Mayfield said Barcelona put
a great deal of investment into making their city accessible, whether through
public transit, accommodations, just venues in general, and that’s having a
tremendous payoff.
“They are now the number one
tourist destination for those with accessibility needs,” she said. “The lasting
impact of something like the Paralympics can have on a city with that
investment is pretty incredible.”
2026 FIFA World Cup
Los Angeles is one of 16 host
cities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with SoFi
Stadium hosting eight matches, including the opening ceremony game on June
12, 2026.
Krutzsch said FIFA estimates
roughly six million people will attend one of the 104 matches over the event’s
39 days, with most of those visitors stopping in the U.S. along the way.
We think this is a moment where we’re going to see a huge uptick in visitation with a huge uptick in community involvement.
Jason Krutzsch
“From some of the early
estimates that we have in Los Angeles, we’re looking at probably over 150,000
above baseline people traveling in from out of town to attend this event and
roughly 330,000 additional hotel room nights above baseline during that four- to
five-week period,” he said.
Krutzsch said he doesn’t
necessarily spell out the full economic impact of the event when you consider
the local demand the event will have in the immediate drive regions and the
local community.
“We’ve talked about how diverse
our population is here,” he said. “We are planning for this event to be a
significant moment to bring a lot of different communities together and find
different ways to celebrate the 48 countries that are competing in the tournament
that have significant populations here in Los Angeles as well.
“So, we think this is a moment where we’re going to see a huge uptick in visitation
with a huge uptick in community involvement.”