The upcoming FIFA Women's World Cup has already achieved a
significant milestone, with over one million tickets sold, making it
potentially the most attended standalone women's sporting event.
As the tournament approaches, travel trends indicate a growing
interest from diverse regions and traveller segments, highlighting the
global appeal and significance of this sporting event, according to
travel marketing platform Sojern.
The period between mid-July and early August 2023 has seen a notable
surge in travellers to Australia and New Zealand, coinciding with the
World Cup dates (July 20 to August 20), compared to 2019.
While outbound travel from East Asia and Western Europe to Australia
and New Zealand has not fully rebounded to pre-Covid levels, there are
encouraging signs. During the World Cup season, the percentage of
travellers from East Asia has risen to 35%, compared to 28% before the
season. Similarly, Western Europe has seen an increase to 17% (from 14%)
in travellers visiting Australia and New Zealand.
Japanese travellers have shown remarkable interest, with more than
double the number of travellers (6% vs. 2%) compared to the non-World
Cup season of the same year. Additionally, there is noticeable
increasing intent among travellers from China (16% vs. 15%) and South
Korea (5% vs. 4%) during the tournament.
The top Western Europe feeder markets to the host countries during
the World Cup season are the UK (6%), Germany (2%), France (2%), and
Italy (2%).
During the World Cup season, there is a higher proportion of couples
(24% vs. 19%) and families (23% vs. 21%) among the total travellers
compared to before the season.
However, despite Latin America being the top origin market for the
2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, there is no apparent increase in travel
from Latin America for this year's women's tournament, despite football
being a nationwide sport in the region.