Cameron hotels booked solid as World Cup approaches, restaurants prepare for visitors

CAMERON, Mo. (KCTV) – Communities near Kansas City are preparing for an influx of World Cup visitors, and some are seeing more early success than the host city.

Three of Cameron’s seven hotels are already booked solid from June 4 through July 11, covering every Kansas City match day. The Cameron Chamber of Commerce president said the bookings are proof the city’s nine-month preparation campaign is working.

“I’m over the moon because it’s like actually happening,” said Staci Earley, president of the Cameron Chamber of Commerce. “It’s just proof that all of our hard work is paying off and I just think Cameron is going to be a great place to come and stay.”

Restaurants ready for visitors

Restaurants in Cameron are preparing for the expected crowds.

Robyn Choate has run her restaurant for a decade. The hotel bookings have local business owners thinking about their next move.

“I do see I would hire some more staff. I will adjust my nighttime hours if need be, especially on Friday nights, maybe do a Saturday,” Choate said. “We’re just going to play it by ear and wing it because this is, everyone is welcome here and I am just easy going.”

Kickin’ It in Cameron campaign

The chamber of commerce is branding its community events under one name — Kickin’ It in Cameron. Signage and flags are going up around town.

Cameron offers about 300 hotel rooms across seven properties. Earley visited five of those hotels last week and said three are turning away reservations through the World Cup period. One hotel said it needs to hire another housekeeper.

The community hosts a fan fest on June 11 at McCorkle Park. A foot golf tournament on June 22 will raise money for a youth soccer camp in July.

Earley said fans will appreciate the city’s accessibility.

“All these people from either different countries or domestically that come and see us because Cameron is so easy to get to and centrally located,” Earley said.

Other communities prepare

Independence held its first-ever tourism summit Monday, mapping out how the city will welcome World Cup visitors.

“Help them get a better understanding of who might be coming to town, when they’re going to want to see and experience, help get hotels ready, get the restaurants ready for what we hope is a really good influx of visitors,” said Stephen Foutes, director of the Missouri Division of Tourism.

Late last year, Visit Columbia said it expects some World Cup tourists to look beyond Kansas City and head their way, calling itself a satellite host.

“We’ll have watch parties throughout the community, and we know that, you know, depending on which international fans end up in Missouri, some of them may end up in Columbia,” said Megan McConachie with Visit Columbia.

For months, the Cameron chamber has coached local businesses, handing out a playbook covering extended hours and how to prep staff for international visitors. A shuttle from Liberty, just 30 minutes away, runs straight to the matches.