With the T20 World Cup kicking off on Sunday, sports tourism seems to be back in vogue among Indians with travel companies saying that the sector has completely recovered the aftermath of the pandemic and there’s a huge uptick in the demand for tickets for the US & the Caribbean. A survey by a Global fintech firm Wise also revealed that 44 percent of respondents in India were keen to travel to catch the upcoming T20 World Cup matches live, while 72 percent believed that the game will provide them more bonding opportunities with family and friends based in the US.
Daniel D’Souza, president & country head – holidays, SOTC Travel said, “Sports tourism is becoming a major driver for the Indian market combining travel with their passion for sports, with demand increasing by 20 percent-35 percent. There is also a significant shift the country is witnessing over our 75 year history with the entry of younger travellers especially across Tier 1 & Tier 2 cities.”
D’Souza attributes the growth to a burgeoning middle class, and a growing appetite for unique experiences and rising HNI/ UHNI segment. “We had included a cricketing bonanza for three of our scheduled USA group departures for the India-Pakistan cricket match in New York and put up big screen displays given the sold out status of match tickets.” For the uninitiated, tickets for the debut match went up to Rs 8.4 lakh.
Shrawan Saraogi, APAC head of expansion, Wise told TOI, “Beyond being a sport, cricket fosters cultural connections, strengthens family bonds, and even influences financial activities, as seen by increased travel intent during key tournaments.”
Talking about the growing demand for sports tourism among Indians, Rajeev Kale, president & Country Head, Holidays, MICE, Visa – Thomas Cook (India) said, “Our consumer data trends for 2024 highlight a 40 percent surge in demand for big-ticket global sporting events, and topping the list is the cricket World Series, Wimbledon, the Olympics and F1 (Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, etc.) It’s not surprising then that we have received nearly 200 queries including confirmed GIT (our group series) bookings for the much-anticipated India-Pakistan fixture in New York.”
Elaborating specifically on the T20 World Cup, Subhash Goyal, chairman of STIC Travel Group and Tourism Committee of Indian Chamber of Commerce said, “From India, there are direct flights to New York, while you can go to the Carribeans via London or Paris. Bookings are high. Back in the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, there was so much rush from Asia, especially India that hotels were full in Trinidad and Tobago, so two ships were put up in Port of Spain, and people put up there and stayed. I am expecting a similar rush this time. Despite television and live streaming on mobile phones, the charm of seeing a match live in the stadium and cheering with the crowd is different,” said Goyal.