Opodo Names Top Nations Flying to England to Support Their Teams at the 2015 Rugby World Cup

British rugby fans anticipating the kick-off of the 2015 Rugby World Cup should prepare for a strong international turnout, as research reveals that tourist arrivals into England from countries that have teams playing have almost doubled (90% increase) compared to the same period last year.

The study by online travel company Opodo highlights the countries that have the biggest influx of rugby supporters flying in to watch their teams battle it out on the rugby pitch and Japan leads the way with almost 20 times more tourists expected, which will boost encouragement at their first match against South Africa's Springboks in Brighton on September 19.

The list of "Top 10 Supporting Nations" by tourist arrivals during next month' world cup includes:

1. Japan
2. Argentina
3. USA
4. Georgia
5. South Africa
6. Romania
7. New Zealand
8. Australia
9. France
10. Ireland

Puma supporters will be in full force against the legendary All Blacks at Wembley Stadium on September 20as tourist arrivals from Argentina are 16 times higher than usual. In third place with a 450% surge in visitors flying in next month is the USA, who is playing their first match against Samoa.

Although Pool A is a firm favourite for local supporters who are keen to see England and Wales battle it out on 26 September at Twickenham, Pool B's top supporting nations - Japan, the USA and South Africa- have a combined increase of 2600% more travellers flying in during the event.

France's rugby team Les Bleus and Australia's Wallabies are both attracting twice more visitors to England during the Rugby World Cup matches, meanwhile closer to home, 80% more Irish rugby fanatics and 50% more Scottish supporters will be making a short watch their teams in action.

Stephanie Uhlig, UK managing director for Opodo comments, "It's exciting to see such a big international turnout for such a significant event in the global sport calendar. Rugby is a huge part of the culture in many countries and it really helps bring people together. It's also great to see that the wide range of airfares and hotel deals Opodo offers are enabling fans to come support their teams from all four corners of the globe. There are going to be some fantastic matches, and lots of cheering from both sides!"

Notes to Editors

The Opodo data includes all return flights to England and Wales booked for travel between 12 September and 12 October 2015 in comparison to the number of bookings for the same period in 2014. The research only includes the number of tourists arriving from the 18 countries that have teams playing in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, excluding England and Wales.

About Opodo:

Opodo (www.opodo.co.uk) is one of Europe's leading online travel companies. By offering the widest online product mix from over 440 airlines and 550,000 hotels, as well as packages, cruises, car hire and travel insurance, Opodo opens up endless options for millions of customers to fulfil all of their travel needs in one place, and for the best price. Founded in the UK in 2000, it was the first European online travel company, and today Opodo is active in 14 European countries including the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Portugal, Austria, Poland, Belgium, Switzerland and Sweden. Opodo is part of the eDreams ODIGEO group, the largest e-commerce business in Europe, and also one of the world's biggest online travel companies with over 16 million customers annually.