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ccording to site data from Hostelworld, enquiries for accommodation in Iceland have increased by 58% since the tournament started on 10 June compared to the same period last year.
And despite the Icelandic national team knocking out England in the tournament, UK residents were responsible for the second-most searches, just behind the USA.
While Iceland has seen the biggest increase in global customer enquiries, Slovakia (15% increase), Portugal (9%), Poland (8%) and Germany (3%) are the other nations featured in the tournament that have also all seen increases year-on-year compared to the same period in 2015. (See appendix for top accommodation options in these areas).
Icelandic searches peaked on 3 July in the quarter-final against France when enquires more than doubled (increase of 116%), which was the biggest increase of any country in the tournament. This was followed by Slovakia, with enquires rising by 44% on the 27 June following the team’s defeat to Germany the night before. Enquires for victors Portugal increased by 24% the day after the final.
As for other tournament heroes Wales, while not experiencing increased enquiries throughout the tournament, there were significant spikes in interest (55% increase) the day following the victory against Russia and during the match against Northern Ireland (21 and 25 June).
Otto Rosenberger, Chief Marking Officer at Hostelworld, said: “Global sporting events are not only great spectacles, but really shine a spotlight on countries that you may have never thought to visit before. This is especially true when we’ve been on a journey with a national team, like Iceland stunning the world by reaching the quarter-finals, or Portugal winning their first European Championship after losing their star player.
“Whether it’s watching Icelandic geysers, sipping some of Portugal’s famous port or wandering around Slovakia’s historic castles, we know hostellers seek new experiences and people to share them with, so it makes complete sense that we’ve seen hostel enquires significantly increase in these amazing but lesser known countries.
