Flight bookings to Brazil soar in Olympics countdown

THE starting gun has fired on an Olympic stampede of thousands of British sports fans converging on Rio ahead of the Games’ opening ceremony on Friday.

Flight bookings from UK airports to the host city during the fortnight of the world’s biggest sporting event have soared 80 per cent compared with the same time last year, according to new figures.

Bookings of accommodation in Rio neighbourhoods such as Copacabana and Ipanema are also up, with 2,600 Britons reserving properties through home lettings website Airbnb for the period of the games.

Team GB athletes have spoken of the crucial lift from fan support rallying behind the 366 Team GB athletes. Heptathlete Katarina Thompson-Johnson, 23, told the Standard: “It was incredible in Lon- don 2012 and we just want exactly the same — those people who have travelled, their support really helped the athletes in London, so we just need to see more of that.”

Double-gold medalist Laura Trott said: “It’s huge to have their support, especially when people travel out there. The feeling it gives you when you hear them cheering, it really can make the difference.”

One of the most popular days for arrivals is August 12 when the track and field athletes such as Katarina Johnson-Thompson begin their campaigns. August 12 accounts for five per cent of all flight arrivals.

Far from being deterred by reports of rising crime, police officers on strike and the Zika virus, worldwide bookings to the iconic city during the Olympics are up 220 per cent.

The surge in flight bookings means the UK ranks fifth in a list of top supporters, according to the figures from Europe’s biggest online travel company eDreams ODIGEO. Germany tops the list with a 200 per cent increase in flight bookings to Rio, with Spain second with 194 per cent and France third with 183 per cent.

Ai r bnb boss e s s a i d more t han 55,000 guests from 110 countries, including thousands from the UK, have booked rooms via the website.