One of the largest sporting events in the world kicks off today. Billions of people around the world will be tuning in over the next few weeks to watch the World Cup.

Major sporting events like this are a great opportunity for a country to showcase itself and destinations nearly always report a growth in visitor numbers in the following years. They are also a way of bringing people together and offering the chance to learn about new people and cultures. The atmosphere in past World cups and European championships have, on the whole, been welcoming and fun for all concerned.

The number of British fans heading over to Russia is anticipated to be a little lower than for past tournaments, a combination of the facts that only one the home nations, England, are taking part, and that there are long travel times between England’s matches – 20 hours by train in some cases.

As with any travel – it will be important for fans to follow the Foreign Office advice, paying particular attention to local laws and customs. ABTA is working with the Foreign Office to support the Government’s ‘Be on the Ball’ campaign and will be sharing advice across our social media channels.