DO NOT LIVE: Football’s coming home

Get ready to party – England is to host the World Cup 2018.

With the help of David Cameron, Prince William and David Beckham, England has beaten off Spain/Portugal, Russia and Belgium/Netherlands to win the bid.

HRH Prince William makes the case for England 2018 in Zurich

It will be the first time it has hosted the event since 1966.

England has vowed to match Fifa’s £76.6m annual investment in grassroots football around the World by 2018.

"It’s not just about us," Prince William told FIFA. "I give you an assurance that England is committed to playing its full and proper role in developing football internationally as a member of your global footballing family."

The Prince, who is due to marry Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011, joked: "I know that we can deliver extraordinary public occasions and celebrations. I certainly hope so as I’m planning quite a big one myself next year."

Laurence Bresh, director of marketing for Visitbritain, said the win was fabulous news for British tourism.

“The enthusiasm for British football is particularly strong in the growth markets of Asia and Latin American and this gives us a chance to show Britain as a dynamic, friendly and contemporary destination and reflect all that’s best about our people, culture, heritage and hospitality," he said.

“The 2018 World Cup in England will take us into parts of the country with a broader reach than the 2012 London Olympics ever could. We now have a genuine opportunity to promote a regional story, which touches all parts of England.”

ABTA said the World Cup will create a significant boost for tourism, following the Royal Wedding in 2011 and the Olympics in 2012.

“It will also be a wonderful opportunity to showcase the whole of the UK and keep the high worldwide profile over the next eight years,” said a spokesman.

“Our members will be able to help fans book their holidays to coincide with the matches and suggest places to explore between the matches across the country.”

UKinbound said the win was another achievement for the tourism industry, making an exciting addition to what will become a fantastic ‘Decade of Sport’.

“With the recent 2010 World Cup final in South Africa drawing 700 million viewers alone, hosting this prestigious tournament will put the country at the centre of the international stage,” said chief executive Mary Rance.

“We anticipate that 2018 will be another great year for inbound tourism and will profile the UK as an exciting destination and host of such large scale international events.”

According to online accommodation company, hotels.com, Britain’s hotel sector could benefit to the tune of £1.2 billion.

It has calculated that England has to provide 400,000 hotel rooms at all budget levels as part of its bid and each guest will pay an average of £98 (based on the Hotel Price Index) a night for their accommodation and extras like food, drink and wi-fi during their stay.

“Any revenue forecast will ultimately depend on variables such as the qualification and elimination of teams, inflation and local factors but the World Cup should be extremely lucrative for the sector,” said Alison Couper, from hotels.com.

“Hosting the competition in England will see a bookings bonanza not only for the hotels in the 12 host cities but also across the country.

“We believe it could lead to a £1.2 billion boost to the sector over the month of the competition as tourists and fans flock to the home of Football.”

Mike Greenacre, managing director of The Co-operative Travel, said the World Cup would impact the overseas travel market.

"Overseas bookings are affected enormously by World Cup finals," he said.

"Holidaymakers delay confirming their plans until the home nations are eliminated, whilst bookings immediately following England’s World Cup exit (on penalties to Portugal in Germany 2006) led to sales reaching their highest levels of the year."

By Bev Fearis