Eric Cantona and hotel booking site tell football fans to get cultured
French football legend Eric Cantona has joined forces with hotels.com to urge British football fans to be more cultured when they hit Madrid ahead of the UEFA Champions League Final this weekend.
He is calling on Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur fans to swerve Irish bars and fast food joints and mingle with the locals.
He also appealed to travelling fans to sample the regional cuisine and even switch pubs for art galleries.
It comes following Hotels.com research which shows a quarter of football fans don’t consider themselves to be cultured.
And more than half (55%) don’t even bother trying the local cuisine when abroad.
"It’s time to open your eyes and experience the beauty of the places you are visiting when you follow your team," said Cantona.
"Hotels.com and I believe that travelling abroad can be an even more rewarding experience if you really embrace the local culture and everything it has to offer.
"Learn the language, drink in the culture, meet the local people and become the perfect travelling fan."
Hotels.com recommended trying pig’s ears, one of the local dishes in Madrid.
Grilled until they’re crispy, they are typically served with a side of spicy bravas sauce and a wedge of lemon, as well as a customary cold beer.
Adam Jay, president of Hotels.com said: "Away football fans are some of the most passionate in the world, but we know that not everyone takes the opportunity to fully enjoy their host city.
"As a travel brand, we want to change that and who better to show you how to be the perfect travelling fan than a cultural icon like Eric Cantona?"
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt