 "IPL 2024: Travel demand for venues up by 25%; Mumbai, Bangalore hotspots")
The 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) is drawing cricket fans in droves, both from India and abroad, leading to packed stadiums and a significant increase in travel to the cities hosting the matches. Aloke Bajpai, the Chairman, Managing Director, and Group CEO of ixigo, reported a noticeable 20-25% increase in travel bookings. "There is a high demand for match destinations like Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Chennai. The majority of the bookings are happening between 0-3 days before the match, indicating fans are booking tickets at the last minute despite higher airfares," he explained.
IPL 2024: Online search trends
Travel demand for IPL venues up by 20-25%
Online searches for IPL-related travel increased by 25% compared to last year
Last-minute flight bookings rise by up to 20% just days before matches
Hotel searches during IPL season up by 15-20%
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Bus bookings increase by 10% close to match days
Thomas Cook India also reported a 25% rise in online searches for travel during the IPL months compared to the previous year.
"Given that cricket is a passion for most Indians, demand is not restricted to cricket enthusiasts from young India, but also extends to ad-hoc groups. Our data indicates that customers are also spending a day or two before or after the matches to explore the cities," said Rajeev Kale, president and country head – holidays, MICE, visa at Thomas Cook (India) Limited.
Hotspots for travel
Mumbai topped the chart with the highest number of flight and hotel searches in April 2024. The other cities seeing significant travel interest include Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Chennai. Specific matches have also sparked particular interest, with Chennai's match on March 22 seeing a 33% increase in flight searches month-over-month. Similarly, Lucknow and Ahmedabad have witnessed 29% and 14% increases, respectively.
— Chennai: 33% increase in flight searches for RCB vs CSK match on March 22, 2024
— Lucknow: 29% increase in flight searches for LSG vs GT match on April 7, 2024
— Ahmedabad: 14% increase in flight searches for GT vs MI match on March 24, 2024
— Hyderabad: 20% increase in flight searches for CSK vs SRH match on April 5, 2024
IPL 2024 | The top 5 host cities with the maximum number of flight and hotel searches are:
1) Mumbai
2) Bangalore
3) Kolkata
4) Hyderabad
5) Chennai
Last-minute booking trends
The travel platform Yatra Online has noted a general 10% surge in flight bookings and a 15-20% uptick in hotel searches. "For last-minute travellers, airfares spike by 15-20% within 7 days of match days, while bus bookings surge by 10% and searches escalate by 15-20%. The game is on, and the numbers speak volumes, highlighting the changing landscape of travel during sporting events," Bharatt Malik, senior vice president- air and hotel business at Yatra Online told Business Standard earlier. Read here.
The IPL continues to not only captivate its audience with thrilling cricket but also impacts the travel and tourism industry significantly, transforming host cities into bustling hubs of activity during the tournament months.