Media agenda-setting and framing tourist risks: what the FIFA World Cup 2026 can learn from Russia 2018

Media coverage of crime adversely affects tourist perception of destinations. Given that the number of gun deaths in the United States has recently reached record levels, visitors’ perception of safety is an important matter ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026. This paper analyses survey data from the World Cup 2018 and attempts to relate the findings to the context of the 2026 event. The tournament in Russia presented a complex case with multiple violence risks perceived to exist. Media agenda-setting, framing and sensationalism had a substantial negative effect on perceptions of safety and willingness to return, in particular, for Europeans. Whilst gun violence is expected to become the most highlighted risk in 2026, its negative impact is expected to be less important than positive World Cup image attributes. It is suggested that event destinations should have a strategy on how negative media agenda-setting and framing should be dealt with.