Oftentimes, regular people make the best diplomats.
For proof of that, just look at what we're seeing from football/soccer fans coming from around the world to watch their teams play in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Fans from other countries are meeting with fans of rival teams at matches across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Just about everything I've seen posted online so far has been positive. They're cheering each other on, being respectful of each other's national anthems, learning each other's chants.
A few other favorites from the U.S. specifically:
- Fans from Japan cleaning up after themselves at the stadium in Dallas.
- A Scottish fan at an Airbnb in Boston broke out the bagpipes for a quick song at 6:30 a.m., much to the delight of the neighbors.
- Norwegian fans taking over Times Square in New York wearing Viking costumes to do their "Viking row" chant.
Honestly, just do a Google search for World Cup fans and you'll see countless videos and stories about fans having a good time doing their thing and having fun with other fans and locals. Don't forget to check out videos of folks from other countries enjoying the local cuisine.
But that's what travel is all about, right? Yes, they're here to watch their teams play, but as an added bonus, they get to experience what another country has to offer and meet the people who live there. The host countries and cities get to provide their own versions of hospitality.
Please forgive me for taking the cliche route of sharing a famous quote, but I think what we're witnessing reinforces the message.
In his 1869 book "Innocents Abroad," Mark Twain wrote, "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things can not be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime."
World Cup tourism is not going to solve every geopolitical problem we have, but I think it helps everyone to remember that there are real people in other countries who have such capacity for good and kind acts. It reminds us that they are like we are, just regular people doing the best we can and having fun when we can.
You can reach me at bwroten@hotelnewsnow.com as well as on LinkedIn.
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