Despite the FIFA World Cup being over, Airbnb booking data has revealed some surprising patterns among guests staying in Russia.
Since June 14 over 277 000 guests have checked into homes booked on the Airbnb platform in cities all across Russia, which is f4 times more compared with the same period last year. With 76% of the guests coming from abroad, the largest number of them are from the US, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, the UK, France, Germany and Peru.
While Airbnb data could no predict the outcome of the final, the numbers show which fans have been the most confident about their team winning all along. Devastated fans of the Three Lions made the most bookings for this weekend, proving that the Brits are the most die-hard and loyal soccer fans. Admirers of the French team are not far behind, and fans staying in homes booked through the Airbnb platform will be taking the majority of seats during this Sunday’s match. Similarly, optimistic travellers from Germany, South Korea, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico also booked accommodation for 15 July.
Despite the fact that the Italians, the Dutch or the Americans did not qualify, nothing could stop them buying tickets for matches. There have been over 54 000 guest arrivals from the US, 1 200 guest arrivals from Italy and over a 1 000 guest arrivals from the Netherlands to Russia during the four-week period.
Soccer fever took over the host nation too: Following Russia’s surprisingly good performance in the group phase, over 38 000 domestic guests decided to book an Airbnb listed home while the tournament was already in full swing. Among other countries who’ve booked a last-minute stay in Russia were the US, Mexico, Argentina and Colombia.
With 11 cities hosting World Cup matches, fans had to travel far and wide to support their teams. Moscow was the most visited, with over 97 000 guest arrivals, followed by Saint Petersburg (82 000 guest arrivals), Kazan (26 000), Samara (over 17 000) and Nizhny Novgorod (over 15 000). In total, 58% percent of hosts during the World Cup are first-timers.