Xinhua News Agency, London, June 14 (Reporter Liang Xizhi) a new research result released by the British tourism bureau on the 14th shows that the Premier League has brought great impetus to the British tourism industry, every year, it attracts a large number of foreign fans to travel and watch football in Britain, many of which are Chinese fans.
The British Tourism Administration released a research report entitled “International football research” on the same day, which was conducted in Brazil, China, India, Norway, Sweden and the United States, the subjects of the survey are mainly fans from various countries and tourists who like to seek excitement during their vacations, so as to understand the influence of football on foreign fans to travel to Britain.
The research results show that football has become the number one sport attracting foreign fans to travel to Britain. Every year, more than 800000 international tourists go to Britain to watch football matches, they spent a total of 0.684 billion pounds (about 5.98 billion yuan) during their stay in Britain.
Among the fans surveyed, more than three quarters of the interviewees plan to travel to Britain in the next two years, with the highest proportion of Chinese fans reaching 92%, the second is India (85%) and the United States (80%).
The study also found that the Premier League is more attractive to foreign fans than the Premier Soccer League in other countries. Among the foreign fans who went to Britain to watch football matches, 66 percent watched the Premier League, making the Premier League the most popular event. In contrast, only 39 percent of foreign fans have seen Premier Soccer League matches outside the UK.
This conclusion also echoes another survey conducted by the British tourism administration on the “most desirable thing” for tourists from 17 countries to travel to Britain, the survey results show that watching the Premier League on the spot is the activity that one quarter of the interviewees want to go most. In addition, one quarter of them are keen to watch the live broadcast of the Premier League with local British fans in bars.
In addition, the survey also shows that Manchester United is the most popular team in the Premier League, winning 70% of the support of foreign fans. Liverpool and Chelsea separated by 66 percent and 62 percent respectively. Foreign fans who pay attention to the Premier League will pay attention to the performance of six teams on average, showing the potential of football to promote regional tourism.
Patricia Yates, director of the British tourism bureau, said the study further proved the great attraction of the Premier League for international tourists to travel to Britain. Tourists are keen to visit the football club where their favorite stars are located. They will not only experience the exciting atmosphere of the competition, but also clock in at relevant tourist attractions. She believes that the Premier League can encourage tourists to travel to different places in Britain. Football plays an active role in promoting the growth of tourism in the off season and can stimulate the development of local economy.
Richard Masters, acting chief executive officer of the Premier League, said that thanks to many very popular clubs and players, many tourists came to Britain to watch the match. The Premier League has made a lot of efforts to establish contact with international fans around the world. The highlight of this year is the Asian Cup of the Premier League held in Nanjing and Shanghai, China in July, including defending champion Manchester City, wolves, West Ham United, four Premier League teams including Newcastle will compete.