India, South Africa and Bangladesh will have the most fans travelling to the UK for the ICC Cricket World Cup, according to research by Travelport.
The tournament starts today (May 30) with international fixtures taking place across England and Wales until the final at Lord’s in London on July 14.
As of Tuesday (May 21), flight bookings made through all global distribution systems (GDSs) to the UK for the period of the tournament, plus two days either side (May 28-July 16), had increased by 47,939 year-on-year – up 3%.
The greatest number of flight bookings to the UK had come from India (+17,505), up 30% year-on-year.
South Africa was second with a rise of 2,654, followed by Bangladesh (+1,565) and Pakistan (+1,449).
However, the numbers from Australia fell by 2.7%, perhaps because there is a largely ex-pat Australian community already in the UK.
Stephen Shurrock, chief commercial officer at Travelport, said: “We’re pleased to see the Cricket World Cup is attracting more people to visit the UK, with overall flight bookings up by more than 45,000 during the event.
“With two previous Cricket World Cup wins to its name and a hugely passionate supporter base, it’s no surprise to see there has been a significant surge in flight bookings from India.
“Supporters based in South Africa…also appear optimistic about their chances of winning the tournament with the second highest number of travelling fans.”
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