Football joins tourism's premier league as overseas fans flock to games

Mark Townsend - theguardian - Nearly a million overseas visitors travelled to Britain last year to watch football matches, according to research confirming the popularity of the UK as a leading sports tourism destination. Despite the high price of tickets and the problems of
violence and racism in the game, new figures from the national tourism agency reaffirm the global allure of British football, particularly the Premier League.

Figures compiled by VisitBritain show that 900,000 football supporters visited Britain last year, a figure tourism bosses hope will be further supplemented by the sporting success of the Olympics.

Hugh Robertson, the minister for sport and tourism, described the Premier League as "one of this country's most successful exports". He said: "It is no surprise that it has become a big draw for tourists who want to experience the most exciting league in the world."

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http://www.theguardian.com/football/2012/oct/21/football-tourism-premier-league