Flight searches from China to Spain surged after Spain defeated Argentina 1-0 to win the FIFA World Cup on Monday morning, with some routes seeing more than a 30-fold increase in searches within hours of the final, online travel platform Qunar said on Monday.
Spain lifted the World Cup trophy for the first time in 16 years, prompting Chinese soccer fans to look up travel options for the European country during the peak summer holiday season.
As of 9 am on Monday, searches for flights to Barcelona rose 1.6 times from the previous hour, according to Qunar. Searches for flights from the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen in Guangdong province to Barcelona jumped 33-fold, while searches from Kunming in Yunnan increased 10-fold from a week earlier.
Interest in Madrid also climbed. Searches for flights from Chongqing to the Spanish capital nearly doubled from a week earlier, while searches from Kunming and Jinan in Shandong each increased eightfold.
The surge extended beyond Spain’s two largest gateway cities. Searches for flights to the southern coastal city of Malaga increased 10.5 times from a week earlier, while searches for Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands jumped 19-fold and were five times higher than the previous hour.
Qunar said the World Cup triumph coincided with China’s peak summer travel season, when demand for long-haul European trips typically strengthens. China currently has direct flights from cities including Beijing and Shanghai to Madrid and Barcelona, which could help convert soccer enthusiasm into travel demand.
Despite losing the final, Argentina also attracted increased interest from Chinese travelers. With China in its summer season, Argentina’s winter season offers cooler temperatures that may appeal to travelers seeking to escape the heat.
Tanks to chinadaily.com.cn
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