All Aboard! It's the Royal Wedding Train
High-speed train to Britain from the continent reports 28 percent bookings hike.
Feb. 17, 2010— -- Since 2007, the high-speed train Eurostar has made Britain feel a whole lot closer to the continent.
It looks like people are making the most of this proximity: Eurostar has reported a 28 percent surge in bookings to London for the weekend of the royal wedding on April 29.
This is compared to the same dates last year.
Thousands of people from across Europe are expected to travel to London with Eurostar to see Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot.
"Not since Charles and Diana married in 1981 have we seen such huge interest across the continent in the British royal family," said Lionel Benbassat, head of sales and marketing in France for Eurostar.
"People are truly fascinated by this wedding and they want to experience the excitement of the big day and the party atmosphere first hand."
"This fascination isn't just limited to countries that have a monarchy themselves," Benbassat continued. "We've seen a surge in bookings from ... Germany and France as well as from Belgium and the Netherlands, which have their own monarchies."
"After three years of financial austerity, it looks like Europe is gearing up for party."
About 1.1 million people are expected to pour into London for the royal wedding, according to Visit London, the British government's tourism agency.
But the Guardian newspaper says it has received "internal correspondence" from Visit Britain indicating that visitor numbers are expected to fall this year.
The Guardian reported that "far from the event being a guaranteed money-spinner, a senior tourism official has privately warned that the evidence points to foreign visitors steering clear of the U.K. around the 29 April wedding."
Certainly, many Britons are expected to make the most of the extra public holidays. Thomson Holidays and Thomas Cook reported a 35 percent rise in bookings for the extended weekend from the same time last year, and Ryanair reported a 65 percent surge.
Related Stories
ABC News Live