The FIFA World Cup was a boon for the state’s economy, with visitors directly spending over $1 billion in the first five games of the tournament through hotel bookings, transportation and fan festivals.
Governor Kathy Hochul on Tuesday highlighted the preliminary statewide economic impacts of the global soccer tournament, where there was $1.2 billion in direct visitor spending, generating a total economic impact of $2.1 billion, according to an analysis by Tourism Economics through the first five World Cup Group Matches hosted at MetLife Stadium in June.
These figures do not include the final three games, so the state is expected to exceed the revenue projections for hosting the World Cup, the governor said…