'Football trip' on bucket list of 8 in 10 Korean fans
About 80 percent of Korean football fans put traveling far for live football on their bucket list, according to the survey conducted by Expedia. / Courtesy of Expedia
By Jun Ji-hye
The long-awaited 2019-2020 UEFA Champions League Final football match took place in Lisbon, Portugal, last Sunday, during which time Bayern Munich beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 to clinch its sixth European title.
There was huge excitement as extensive delays in the schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which had left devoted football fans in a state of anxiety and fatigue.
Traveling far for the sport may not be an option now, as many matches have been played without the physical presence of spectators amid the pandemic.
But football fans can, at least, look back on their memories of experiencing the atmosphere of a live game at local stadiums, or dream of going on a football-themed trip to see world-famous footballers first hand.
Global online travel agency Expedia, an official sponsor of the UEFA Champions League, has shared travel trends from a study conducted in February with 500 Korean football fans.
Travel trends
In the survey, 82.8 percent of Korean football fans chose “watching a live game in the local stadium” as their bucket list item, while over half the respondents (55.6 percent) said they would purchase a more expensive ticket than the standard for a better seat to watch the game.
Respondents in their 20s appeared to be the most enthusiastic about the football trip, compared to other age groups.
Home of Lionel Messi, Barcelona was voted as the most favored destination to watch live football, as voted for by 63.6 percent of Korean fans.
Other top destinations to travel for football included Manchester with 56 percent of votes, followed by London with 49.6 percent and Madrid with 49.4 percent.
Other plans that traveling fans voted for were to buy football goods from official stores (51.4 percent), visit the representative football stadium in the city (49.6 percent), hang out with local fans in a sports pub (50.6 percent) and visit favorite restaurants of players or managers (17.2 percent).
Fans want to meet Son, Messi
Four in 10 football fans said they were willing to spend more than $250 per ticket for a game they want to watch live, while 2.6 percent said they would spend more than $830.
The players that fans want to meet the most were Son Heung-min, voted for by 50.6 percent of respondents, followed by Lionel Messi with 26.8 percent, Cristiano Ronaldo with 6.4 percent and Lee Gang-in with 3 percent.
Three in 10 said they are willing to wait more than an hour after the game to get an autograph from their favorite player.
About 36 percent of respondents said they are willing to visit more than two cities famous for football during their trip.
When asked who they want to travel for football with, 61 percent of respondents said they prefer friends and family, while 1 in 4 desire to travel with any other football fans. About 14 percent of respondents said they want to take a football trip alone.
Lisbon, a city where football meets travel
Praca do Comercio, the main square in Lisbon / Courtesy of Expedia
The destination for this season's UEFA Champions League Final was the capital of Portugal ― Lisbon.
Portugal is known as the birthplace of world-class players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, and Lisbon is home to clubs SL Benfica and Sporting CP.
Travelers are invited to visit the home stadium of SL Benfica, Estadio da Luz, where the Final match was held, or stop by SL Benfica and Sporting CP club stores located in the city.
At the National Museum of Sport, housed in the Foz Palace, visitors will be able to find interesting records and artifacts of not only football, but a variety of sports.
Meanwhile, Lisbon is also famous for the array of food and things to do.
As a coastal city, seafood dishes such as the seafood rice, cod and octopus, as well as Portuguese egg tart, are must-eats.
People can take an amazing photo with the iconic yellow tram gliding through the streets in the background, or take a rest in the magnificent Praca do Comercio, the main square in Lisbon.
A yellow tram in the street of Lisbon / Courtesy of Expedia
These moments will enrich the experience of a football trip and leave tourists with unforgettable, long-lasting memories.
“We hope fans continue to dream of the time when we can all travel to watch live football at the stadium once again,” said Ree Eun-joo, communications manager of Expedia Korea.