Expedia Group Partners with PredictHQ to Forecast Sports Tourism Demand

New joint forecasts project total traveler spend across North America's host cities to exceed $8.1 billion USD between June and August 2026

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Expedia Group has announced a new partnership with PredictHQ, the leading provider of real-world context, integrating its verified event signals and predictive demand intelligence directly into Partner Central, Expedia Group's platform for lodging partners. The integration gives lodging partners a clearer view of rising travel demand by combining PredictHQ's forward-looking demand forecasts with Expedia Group's rich traveler insights, empowering them to identify, anticipate, and act on demand shifts with greater confidence.

Why it matters

This partnership allows Expedia Group and its lodging partners to better forecast and capitalize on the surge in sports tourism demand leading up to a major global soccer tournament. By providing real-time data and predictive analytics, the integration enables travel providers to adjust strategies, increase visibility, and target the right travelers at the right time to capture revenue that would otherwise be missed.

The details

The new joint forecasts project total traveler spend across North America's host cities to exceed $8.1 billion USD between June and August 2026 - nearly $750 million higher than the same period last year. Several host cities are set to experience dramatic jumps in fan-driven economic activity, with Arlington, Texas expected to see a 135% year-over-year increase in total traveler spend. Accommodation spending is projected to surge from $2.6 billion to $4.8 billion year-over-year, driven by fans booking rooms that extend well beyond match days.

  • The research was conducted by PredictHQ, in collaboration with Expedia Group, in February 2026.
  • The data projects the total spend across accommodation, food and beverages, and ground transportation in North American host cities at this year's global soccer tournament.

The players

Expedia Group

The global travel marketplace with one purpose: to help travelers explore the world, one journey at a time.

PredictHQ

The leading provider of real-world context, integrating its verified event signals and predictive demand intelligence directly into Expedia Group's Partner Central platform.

Campbell Brown

CEO of PredictHQ.

Susan Spinney

Senior Vice President, Hotel Market Partnerships at Expedia Group.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Major global events or groupings of harder-to-track, smaller events both create highly concentrated and fast-moving demand patterns that traditional forecasting models and AI systems lack the real-world context to detect. Demand does not move in straight lines; it responds to what is happening in the world every day. By partnering with Expedia Group, we are embedding this trusted, explainable context directly into decision-making, enabling travel providers to anticipate demand shifts earlier and capture revenue that would otherwise be missed.”

— Campbell Brown, CEO of PredictHQ (Business Wire)

“What makes this powerful is how we connect predictive intelligence directly to commercial action. We're not just identifying demand - we're enabling partners to respond immediately in Partner Central, whether that's adjusting strategy, increasing visibility through TravelAds, or targeting the right domestic and international travelers at the right time. It's about turning foresight into measurable growth.”

— Susan Spinney, Senior Vice President, Hotel Market Partnerships at Expedia Group (Business Wire)

What’s next

Expedia Group's guide on how hotels can win big with sports tourism is available for lodging partners to read.

The takeaway

This partnership between Expedia Group and PredictHQ provides travel providers with advanced predictive analytics and real-world context to better anticipate and capitalize on surges in sports tourism demand, enabling them to adjust strategies, increase visibility, and target the right travelers at the right time to drive measurable growth.