US/Russia: US leads World Cup flight booking growth to Russia

They may not have qualified for the tournament, but travellers from the US are among those most gripped by World Cup fever in terms of flight bookings to Russia, with bookings up 66%, data showed on Tuesday. Less surprisingly, the biggest fall in bookings, a drop of 16%, is from Italy, which failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 60 years, travel technology company Travelport said. Overall, flight bookings to Russia for travel during the tournament from June 14 to July 15 have risen 136,503 in volume, an increase of 34%, according to Travelport’s analysis of data from the major global distribution systems. Bookings from the US are up by 13,654 in volume, an increase of 66%, while Germany accounts for the largest growth in booking volumes of 16,213, an increase of 44%. “It’s great to see the World Cup is encouraging people to travel,” Travelport CCO Stephen Shurrock said. “German supporters are clearly feeling optimistic they can retain the title with the highest total number of fans traveling to watch their team.”<br/>