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Destination: Football – Expedia Group Football Travel Trends Study Reveals Two Thirds of Travellers Plan Holidays Around Sporting Events

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– A huge 68 percent of global travellers have planned holidays around sporting events at least once

– Almost half (47 percent) admitted to changing their holiday booking to make sure they don’t miss a football match

– Barcelona and Camp Nou voted as most favoured football mecca by fanatics

– One in ten football fans are willing to travel 11+ hours to watch their team

– Travel bookings increase by up to three times the usual average on football fixture announcement day

London, UK – May 21, 2019 (PRNewswire) Expedia, Official Travel Partner of UEFA Champions League today presents the results of Destination: Football – An Expedia Group Study on Football Travel Trends examining the traits of football fans across the world and their willingness to travel for the beautiful sport.

According to the research commissioned by Expedia Group, Brand Expedia and Hotels.com, a staggering 68 percent of travellers around the world have planned holidays around sporting events at least once. Of this 68 percent, 70 percent of female and 67 percent of male respondents confessed to planning their holidays around their favourite team. Showing their dedication, nearly half (47 percent) admitted to actually changing holiday bookings to make sure they don’t miss a match.

“We’re excited to be releasing the first cross brand Expedia Group study, looking at how the most passionate fans in the world travel.” said Adam Jay, President of Hotels.com Brand. “We know football fans look forward to booking trips early to avoid missing out on the action. By offering fans great options on flights, accommodation or activities across our Expedia Group brands, we want to make sure the only stress you experience is the nail biting 90 minutes of the football game.”

Popular football meccas and winning match companions

Home of Messi, Barcelona tops the list of most desired destinations to watch live football, as voted for by nearly a third (30 percent) of global fans. Camp Nou in Barcelona is heralded as the absolute football Mecca too, with 15 percent wanting to rally behind FC Barcelona. The UK falls close behind with 20 percent of respondents around the world stating London and Manchester as their chosen destinations. In fact, 11 percent want to visit Old Trafford to watch a game.

Football fans dedication is unquestionable. The study revealed two thirds (67 percent) of respondents have been to an away match and one in ten were even willing to travel 11+ hours to watch their team in action.

Footie fans are also serious about their match companions, with ex-professional footballers topping the celebrity wish list. Former Brazilian striker Ronaldo is the most desirable celeb to join fans travelling to a game (17%), with David Beckham coming in a close second (15%). Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo battle it out to be the number one current footballer that travellers would like to buddy up with on holiday, with the data revealing that one fifth of global respondents choose them as a travel companion.

Near-the-stadium hotels with free breakfast and 24 hours check-in

When booking accommodation for away games, more than 50 percent identified proximity to the stadium as a must have and see 5-star hotels as the equivalent of traveling like a football superstar. Other key deciding factors for accommodation include free breakfast (35 percent), how close it is to the city/town centre (34 percent) and 24 hours check in (31 percent).

Many see travelling for football as an opportunity to explore a new city. Aside from watching football, 62 percent prioritise sightseeing when visiting someplace new. Shopping is the second most popular past-time, with more than half hoping to bag a bargain. Wanderlust becomes wanderlunch with food playing a meaty role when travelling. 46 percent search out restaurants, while over a third (39 percent) prefer sampling local delicacies of street food markets.

Preparation is key, but we’re willing to skip family commitments to avoid missing a match

When it comes to booking, fans don’t wait around. Over a third of respondents (40 percent) confirmed they book their travel for a trip as soon as their team’s fixtures are announced, with women (46 percent) being more organised than men (38 percent).

Some were even willing to lie to their other half with just under a third (32 percent) of respondents admitting they had pretended to book a romantic break to watch a football match. We’re often more loyal to our football team than family – 25% of people would miss a birthday, 12% would flake on parent’s evening and 11% would skip a wedding to make a game.

Expedia Group’s own data revealed that on the day of football fixture announcements, flight and/or accommodation bookings can increase by up to three times the usual average**. Hosting the UEFA Champions League Final is especially beneficial to tourism; Expedia Group data highlighted a 30% increase in searches of Madrid during the lead up to the 2019 Final compared to the same timeframe in 2018***.

“Football breeds some of the most passionate fans, so it’s no surprise many are willing to travel halfway around the world to catch their favourite team in action”, said Adam Jay, President of Hotels.com Brand. “The spike in bookings around UEFA Champions League fixture announcements – especially the Final – shows fans are willing to plan holidays around their favourite sporting events. That’s why many of our brands, such as Brand Expedia and Hotels.com offer incentives like Expedia’s bundle prices on package deals and Hotels.com Reward scheme, to ensure our customers benefit from early planning.”

Notes to Editors

* Destination: Football – An Expedia Group Study on Football Travel Trends. Survey of 16,500 Football fans around the world between 25th February 2019 and 25th March 2019.

** Expedia Group data based on demand average from Expedia.com and Hotels.com from December 10th – December 23rd 2018 (excluding December 17th 2018) compared to demand on December 17th 2018

*** Expedia Group data based on demand from Expedia.com from January 1st – April 1st 2019 compared to the same timeframe in 2018 and 2017

About Expedia Group

Expedia Group (NASDAQ: EXPE) is the world’s travel platform. We help knock down the barriers to travel, making it easier, more enjoyable, more attainable and more accessible. We are here to bring the world within reach for customers and partners around the globe. We leverage our platform and technology capabilities across an extensive portfolio of businesses and brands to orchestrate the movement of people and the delivery of travel experiences on both a local and global basis. Our family of travel brands includes: Brand Expedia®, Hotels.com®, Expedia® Partner Solutions, Vrbo®, Egencia®, trivago®, HomeAway®, Orbitz®, Travelocity®, Hotwire®, Wotif®, ebookers®, CheapTickets®, Expedia Group™ Media Solutions, Expedia Local Expert®, CarRentals.com™, Expedia® CruiseShipCenters®, Classic Vacations®, Traveldoo®, VacationRentals.com and SilverRail™.

Sales Process Begins for Historic English Club Bolton Wanderers

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Glasgow, Scotland – May 22, 2019 (PRNewswire) Today, Paul Appleton, the Joint Administrator for Bolton Wanderers, has confirmed that the club is now being actively marketed for sale.

Hilco Global, through its Hilco Appraisal Limited division in the UK, have been employed as agents of the Administration and will contact all parties who have so far expressed an interest in buying the club.

Bolton Wanderers FC was founded in 1874, taking on its current name in 1877 and is one of 12 founding members of the Football League in 1888. The Club is due to compete in next season’s EFL League One, but has a rich history including lengthy spells in the Premier League and a number of league and FA Cup titles.

Given the high profile of the sale and anticipated press interest, several stipulations have been put in place which need to be met before any access to financial information pertaining to the sale can be disclosed.

These include a £25,000 non-refundable deposit for data room access and proof of funds amounting to not less than £25 million, which will take into account those parties also interested in acquiring the Whites Hotel associated with the club.

Mr Appleton said: “There has been substantial interest from the moment of our appointment on May 13. Over 30 parties have approached us and we will now begin the process of selecting those to make a serious offer for the club.”

“Speed is of the essence in this process and we are advising all those with a serious interest to provide information concurrently to the EFL in respect of their Owners’ and Directors’ Test in order to satisfy those demands.”

“Hilco have an outstanding reputation in this market and I am confident that we will soon have whittled down the list of potential buyers in order to find the best purchaser for the club and restore the standing of Bolton Wanderers.”

Hilco Global’s Nat Baldwin commented: “Bolton Wanderers FC is magnificent football club, propelled by its heritage, historic success and loyal fan base. The club is a fantastic opportunity and we are delighted to be able to assist in finding a buyer that will rejuvenate the club in the coming years.”

About Hilco Global

Hilco Global is one of the leading international financial services companies having completed billions of dollars of transactions around the world. Through 500 professionals operating on five continents, Hilco Global helps companies and their professional advisors understand the value of assets and then maximize that value through asset monetisation solutions, and enhance value through advisory and consulting solutions. Hilco Global serves retailers, wholesalers, distributors and manufacturers, directly and through their lenders, investors and advisors, which can include private equity firms, hedge funds, investment banks, law firms, turnaround professionals, accounting professionals, bankruptcy trustees and receivers.