Foreign travel requires adjustments to local culture: whether to bow or shake hands, what kind of clothing is appropriate to wear, even which hand you should use to eat meals.
For visitors traveling to the United States for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™, a lot of the potential friction points involve money.
Fans from many countries, for example, may be unfamiliar with U.S. tipping customs, which generally call for a 15 to 20 percent gratuity on restaurant meals, or the fact that while service charges are not usually added to bills, sales tax is, according to a new Cultural Awareness Toolkit developed for the Rhode Island Hospitality Association (RIHA) by Bryant University International Business students, whose work coincided with Bryant's preparations to serve as a World Cup base camp for Team Ghana.
“It’s important to help visitors understand tipping culture, especially those from European countries where it’s not common practice,” says Heather Singleton, chief operating officer at RIHA.
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Fans arriving for the June 11 through July 19 international soccer tournament also may not know that meal checks can be split among diners rather than presented as one bill for the whole table, the report notes.
Cultural literacy also extends to visitors’ dining choices, adds Singleton.
“New England clam chowder is a staple in this area, but many restaurants serve it with bacon,” which is prohibited under Islamic dietary laws, she says. “When you have the team from Morocco coming in, you've got to be aware of what’s halal.”
Different countries, different expectations
Markus Paukku, Ph.D., director of Bryant’s International Business program, says the toolkit was the product of a semester’s worth of work by dozens of students and was produced at the request of RIHA, which was referred to Bryant by Elizabeth Tanner, the former Rhode Island commerce secretary who is the executive director of Ocean State 2026, the state’s coordinating organization for the World Cup. It includes both general advice and tips specific to fans from Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, England, Scotland, Germany, France, Norway, Ghana, Haiti, Iraq, Morocco, Panama, and Senegal, whose teams are either scheduled to play preliminary-round matches in nearby Foxborough, Massachusetts, or anticipated to play in the Providence/Boston area during later tournament rounds.
For example, restaurants are advised that alcohol-centric experiences are not appropriate for guests from nations with larger Muslim populations like Ghana and Morocco; to avoid clearing plates prematurely so that guests from countries like France, who savor a slower dining experience, don’t feel like their meal is being rushed; and to give Norwegian visitors the low-pressure service they crave by providing concise answers to questions and avoiding repeated interruptions.
The report also notes that while fans from England favor a pub-style environment for watching matches, those from family-oriented Ghana tend to be more comfortable with group meals at large tables. Hospitality workers are advised not to assume Brazilians speak Spanish, even though they come from South America (Portuguese is the national language of Brazil), and to be prepared for the sarcastic humor of Scottish visitors.
“Businesses must understand how visitors interpret service, value, quality, communication, payment, tipping, dining pace, and group behavior,” according to a training document prepared by RIHA and based on the Bryant students’ research.
Actionable advice
The toolkit “was exactly what we were looking for,” says Singleton, adding that she expects the depth of cultural information on each individual nation to be especially valuable to RIHA members. Bryant student researchers detailed each nation’s typical communication style, service expectations, dining and group dining behaviors, and payment preferences. They also visited hospitality businesses in Rhode Island and spoke with owners about how to best target advice and information to workers.
“A lot of our students have studied abroad and understand that there are cultural differences, but one of the lessons they learned was how to turn those into actionable insights and advice so that frontline employees can make sure visitors have a great experience while they’re in New England,” Paukku says.
“A lot of our students have studied abroad and understand that there are cultural differences, but one of the lessons they learned was how to turn those into actionable insights and advice so that frontline employees can make sure visitors have a great experience while they’re in New England."
The toolkit is included in a World Cup training module available on the RIHA website and offered free for anyone in the hospitality industry, including the group’s 900 members.
Welcoming the globe
Farouk Rajab, president and CEO of RIHA, says that despite high ticket prices and other factors that have tempered some of the sky-high expectations around the World Cup, he still expects the tournament to be the biggest sporting event ever in Rhode Island.
Providence and Boston are the only two places in New England that will have FIFA-sanctioned fan zones. The World Cup has also generated related programs like a send-off party for the Cape Verdean team hosted by the large local population from that archipelago off the coast of Africa; a soccer game featuring legendary players from the Colombian national team; and the opening of the PUMA House of Portugal at Waterplace Park in downtown Providence.
“We're going to have thousands of people that will flood the city and travel locally to go to events and games,” says Rajab. “Every community is getting touched by some sort of fun and active engagement, and that's where cultural awareness comes into play.”
“We're going to have thousands of people that will flood the city and travel locally to go to events and games. Every community is getting touched by some sort of fun and active engagement, and that's where cultural awareness comes into play.”
The economic kick from the tournament is likely to be felt broadly in the local hospitality industry, but especially by those who do their homework about their guests, says Paukku.
“I think the businesses that are culturally literate are the ones that are going to be able to thrive in this opportunity of the World Cup coming to Rhode Island,” he predicts.