London, July 5: England fans seeking solace from their World Cup woe were shunning Portugal as a holiday destination after the national squad knocked England out of the tournament, travel agents said today.
Gelsenkirchen, causing misery for England supporters hoping their team could become world champions.
"Last week, Portugal was our fourth most-searched destination -- but since Saturday it's fallen down to 15th place," said John Bevan an online travel agent.
"We expect interest will bounce back but at the moment the loss is still a bit raw. But we hope that English holidaymakers don't boycott the Algarve for long as a result of the match."
Meanwhile Thomas Cook said bookings surged by 35 per cent on Sunday and yesterday as fans looked to get away from it all following England's failure to make the World Cup semi-finals.
Bureau Report
