Tourism industry wary of early Indian exit

A possible exit of Team India from the first round of the ICC World Cup has the tourism industry worried. Many fans and corporates, who were waiting for India to qualify for the next stage, the Super Eight, are likely to cancel their plans of going to the Caribbean. The price for the travel package works out to roughly Rs 3 lakh per person, a sum that would not seem worth spending if India were to falter in their quest for the Cup.

"My phone has stopped ringing. I was in dialogue with many fans and had India won the match against Bangladesh on Saturday night, I would have booked many packages today," said a large tour operator based out of Mumbai.

SOTC, an official travel and hospitality partner for the World Cup, still has 400 unsold packages to the West Indies. It is now looking to market these packages to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, as these two are likely to play the next round. "That is one advantage of being in the travel trade. At least we can go to our neighbouring countries to make some money," said a senior executive in the company.

While SOTC's 12-day hotel package beginning on March 29 is reportedly sold out, its second cruise package still is not. There are 200 tickets left for this package, that commences on April 10 and includes three match tickets for the Super Eight. "As per our calculations, passengers on this cruise would have seen India play New Zealand, Pakistan and West Indies," said another senior executive with SOTC.

If India does exit from the first round, this cruise is bound to lose some of its appeal. The price of this package has already fallen from the initial Rs 3.87 lakh to Rs 2.15 lakh. Now, it is expected to fall even further.

SOTC also has 200 unsold packages for the semi-finals and final. Hard-core cricket fans that do not confine themselves to India-playing matches, are expected to be the only ones to pick up these packages.

The good news for SOTC is that the terms and conditions governing the sold travel packages do not allow cancellations.

Industry experts said that corporates such as ICICI Prudential were planning to sponsor 50-60 of their employees for the World Cup.Moreover, Reliance Communication was supposed to be looking at sending its dealers to the Caribbean. Experts opined that if the corporates had not purchased the packages, they may not go through with such incentive plans.

"Hotels in the islands are charging a minimum of $300 a night. Additionally, you have to also account for airfare, meals, match tickets and intra-island transportation. That is why packages are a better deal," said a Delhi-based travel agent.

The problem is that India's qualification status for the Super Eight, that begins on March 28, will become clear only on March 25, when Bangladesh plays Bermuda.