Industry News
Olympics
If you are heading to the Olympics in Milan-Cortina this February and are looking forward to some “La Dolce Vita” and pure Italian vibes, be prepared to hear a lot of American accents around you. According to new Visa data released on October 30, U.S. fans make up the single largest share of Winter Games ticket purchases—by a mile.
U.S. Visa cardholders account for 35% of all Olympic ticket spending made with Visa, making it the largest share of any nation. This outpaces Germany with just over 10%, Canada, which is just shy of 10%, as well as Switzerland, the UK, and France, which each represent 5% of ticket purchases.
In other words: more than one in three Olympic tickets purchased on Visa so far has come from an American fan. Visa also found that travelers from Australia, Canada, the U.S., and the Netherlands are recording the highest average spend per cardholder as they prepare for their Olympic trips. Visa has been the the official Payment Technology Partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games since 1986 and holds the exclusive rights until the 2030 Summer Games in Brisbane, Australia. The company facilitates online purchases as well as contactless payments across public transport, ski areas, and mountain services.
With 80 days to go before the 2026 Olympic Winter Games, Visa Consulting & Analytics reports a dramatic surge in both travel and ticket spending across Italy’s host regions. International flight bookings to northern Italy are already up more than 160% compared to the same period last winter, signaling the strongest pre-Games travel boom Italy has seen in decades.
Northern Italy—including Lombardy, Trentino, South Tyrol, and the Veneto and Cortina d’Ampezzo region—is preparing for a surge in visitor numbers unlike anything since the 2006 Turin Winter Games.
According to Visa’s projections, international arrivals by air are set to rise over 160%, led by travelers from the U.S., UK, and Canada. Demand for flights, hotels, and mountain transport is accelerating earlier than expected, driven by fans eager to lock in logistics ahead of the February 6 Opening Ceremony.
The data has also been confirmed by research by online-holiday-rental provider AirBnB, which found that the regions hosting events—Lombardy, Veneto, and Trentino-Alto Adige—have seen triple-digit year-on-year growth in searches. All Olympic and Paralympic venues—Milan, Cortina, Livigno, Bormio, Verona, Predazzo, Tesero, and Anterselva—have recorded ten times more visits than the previous year, with Anterselva showing the highest year-on-year growth in searches. The trend is not just limited to well-known destinations; several areas in Cadore, such as Calalzo, Borca, Valle, and Domegge in Veneto to Valdisotto and Valdidentro in Lombardy, are seeing bookings months in advance. “As the Olympic Games approach, we are seeing an unprecedented increase in searches and bookings,” Matteo Sarzana, Airbnb Country Manager for Italy, said, “We continue to invest significantly to ensure every guest has a safe and seamless stay: this includes verified listings, enhanced 24/7 customer support, and much more.”
The optimism inside Italy is high, 90% of Italians expect Milano Cortina 2026 to bring long-term benefits to host cities, including improvements to public spaces, transport, tourism, and infrastructure. 95% of small and medium businesses in northern Italy expect a positive economic impact. From new transport corridors to revitalized resort facilities, many of these upgrades are already underway across the Alps.
Between heavy U.S. ticket buying and record-breaking travel from abroad, one can expect a very international crowd at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. If you’re planning to sip an Aperol Spritz in Cortina or cheer in the grandstands in Bormio, don’t be surprised if the people next to you are comparing powder in Utah and Colorado, or making you cringe by ordering a cappuccino after 11:00 a.m.—a cardinal sin by Italian standards.
