Analysis1 conducted by Travelport(NYSE:TVPT), a leading travel commerce platform, suggests India, South Africa and Bangladesh will have the most traveling fans at the Cricket World Cup 2019, which starts tomorrow in the United Kingdom (UK). 
As of Tuesday 21 May 2019, flight bookings overall made through all global distribution systems (GDS) to the UK for the period of the tournament, plus two days either side (Tuesday 28 May 2019 to Tuesday 16 July 2019), had increased by +47,939 (+3.0%) compared to the same period the previous year.
Out of the countries that are participating in the Cricket World Cup 2019, the greatest growth in flight bookings to the UK had come from India (+17,505). South Africa (+2,654), Bangladesh (+1,565) and Pakistan (+1,449) had also seen a significant uplift.
GDS are vast hi-tech reservation networks that allow travel agents, travel management companies and large corporations, among others, to search and book airline seats, hotel rooms, rental cars, and other travel related items. Additional bookings will have been made directly with airlines, which may or may not also have a GDS presence. Globally in 2018, Travelport alone processed 1 trillion transactions through its GDS.
Stephen Shurrock, Chief Commercial Officer, Travelport, says: “We’re pleased to see the Cricket World Cup is attracting more people to visit the United Kingdom, with overall flight bookings up by more than 45,000 during the event. With two previous Cricket World Cup wins to its name and a hugely passionate supporter base, it’s no surprise to see there has been a significant surge in flight bookings from India.”
Shurrock continued: “Supporters based in South Africa, currently third in the ICC’s men’s ODI rankings, also appear optimistic about their chances of winning the tournament with the second highest number of travelling fans. While flight bookings from Australia are slightly down, with a large expatriate community already in the UK, booking volumes from Australia in excess of 90,000 for the period of the tournament and the team among the favourites to win, we’re sure their supporters will be out in full force. We hope all supporters enjoy the event. At Travelport, we will be working closely with our customers to ensure they are ready to handle the amplified booking volumes.”
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