The 2026 Football World Cup is shaping up to be one of the events with the greatest tourist impact of the coming year, according to Sean Cazares Ahearne, the general director of the Mexican Association of Tourist Housing (AMVITUR). Economic outflow is expected to begin in Mexico City, where this event will open on June 11 at the Azteca Stadium, considered one of the most important sporting events in the world.
The tourist expectation is so high that the government of Mexico City anticipates the arrival of nearly 5 million people from various parts of the world, representing a high demand against the available supply in the city. With 784 hotels and more than 60,000 rooms, the Mexican capital hopes to compete with the Airbnb platform, which has over 26,000 temporary rental accommodations on its digital site.
There is special anticipation for the visit of 'millennials and part of the population belonging to Generation Z,' as they tend to seek private accommodation offered on digital platforms. The city's Tourism Secretariat indicates that 68.1% of the tourists visiting Mexico City belong to this age range.
The director of AMVITUR warned about the need to avoid falling into the black market for tourist housing in the capital, indicating that this market often benefits from unoccupied or abandoned housing. In Mexico City, it is estimated that there are around 207,000 units in this situation, which represents 7% of the total housing.
Since the year 2000, Mexico City has faced a deficit of social and economic housing, as well as a lack of management of uninhabited territory, which implies greater insecurity for both residents and national and international tourists. It is important to remember that temporary accommodation in the city is subject to new regulations starting in late 2024, aimed at balancing the market between platforms offering short stays and traditional hotels.
