Holiday searches suggest England fans lack faith in the Three Lions
• Massive surge in holiday searches after group matches
• Fans not expecting England to reach knock-out phases
Research conducted by On the Beach, the UK’s leading beach holiday specialist, has revealed that whilst Gareth Southgate may be feeling positive about the national team’s chances in Russia following promising results against both the Netherlands and Italy, fans of the Three Lions may not be so confident.
The online travel agent delved into its holiday search data to reveal the most popular dates of travel before, during and after the World Cup and found a significant rise in searches for holidays departing just two days after England’s final group stage match, against Belgium on the 28th of June.
The research revealed the most significant surge in searches is for departures on the 30th of June, two days after the final group game – where they are up 39% in comparison to the date of England’s opening match against Tunisia, perhaps suggesting fans are expecting an early exit for Southgate’s men.
This also suggests that fans are not expecting England to reach the knock out stages of the tournament and will be heading home after the match against Belgium.
The research also revealed a significant rise in searches of holidays departing on the 25th of June, the day after England’s second group match against Panama.
The 2018 World Cup will see the Central American nation participate in their first ever World Cup, however despite this, search data indicates fans may be thinking the tournament will be over for England following the match against the nation ranked 55th in the latest FIFA Rankings*.
Alan Harding, Marketing Director at On the Beach comments:
“Looking at search data going into a major tournament is a great way to gauge confidence and our research suggests that England fans aren’t looking past the group stages, planning their holiday soon after England’s final group game against Belgium.”
* Source
About On the Beach
Founded in 2004 and listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2015, On the Beach is the UK’s leading beach holiday specialist. With more than 60 million website visitors this year, over 1.5 million customers found, booked and enjoyed their perfect On the Beach holiday. Book online at www.onthebeach.co.uk, or by calling the UK call centre on 0871 474 3000.