Expected to push inbound traveller demand even further
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 has thrown in an opportunity for travel operators to ring in some extra cash, as cricket buffs from across the world pour into the sub-continent to cheer for their respective teams! Most are using this opportunity to travel across the country as well. Demand for short haul trips near match locations, as well as long trips covering major tourist hot spots in steadily on the rise.
While TUI and Cutting Edge Events, the official travel partners of the ICC World Cup 2011, are raking in the moolah thanks to their match ticket packages, other major operators are also stepping on the gas to encash on the World Cup frenzy. Gautam Kaul, COO, Inbound - Yatra Exotic Routes, Yatra.com said, "Travellers coming in for 15-20 days to cheer for their team playing four matches would also look forward to travel to nearby destinations in between. People are either choosing to travel for 3-4 days or for a longer duration of 6-7 days pre or post the tournament. Between February 20 and March 15, we expect to handle at least 100-120 foreign travellers."
As teams sweat it out in the fields between from February to April, tour operators will be busy accommodating the rush which is only expected to go up as the tournament progresses. Tarique Khatri, VP, Business Development, Cleartrip says, "The data of our operations in UAE shows that there has been a 70 percent jump in passenger traffic to India specifically to Mumbai and Chennai. Compared to last years figures we have noticed a sizeable jump in traffic with respect to air and hotel bookings done through us. While Bangalore recorded a jump of 70 percent , Chennai saw a 130 percent increase and Ahmedabad saw a whopping 150 percent rise due to the second quarter final match to be held there. Mumbai saw a 100 percent increase because it will host the final match. These trends are indicative that the increase in traffic in specific cities coincided with match hosted there. "
While Yatra.com is handling most queries from South Africa, apart from Australia and UK, Cutting Edge Events is also getting queries from countries like Singapore and Hong Kong. Most travel operators feel that the Cricket World Cup is a good opportunity for foreign tourists interested in clubbing a trip covering India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Mayank Khandwala, co-founder, Cutting Edge, said that they have already sold around 2,000 match ticket packages. He added, "There is healthy demand for ticket packages, one of the prime reasons being tickets to matches are in short supply. However, had the department of tourism promoted the mega sporting event more efficiently, the country could have seen much higher footfall this season."
Agrees Keyur Joshi, Co-Founder and COO, Makemytrip.com, "While we have been receiving queries from Australia, UK and UAE for World cup and many travellers extending their holiday to explore rest of india. But there still hasn’t been a huge jump in traffic due to world cup. We think it’s a opportunity loss for tourism in India. World cup is an event big enough for the government to attract foreign tourists to India, which has not been marketed well."
Among the interesting trends that this World cup has thrown up so far one is that booking online is also gaining momentum.
Rajiv Duggal, CEO of TUI which is the official travel agent for World cup domestic segment says, "Of our bookings so far MNC's make up 25 percent of the bookings while online bookings dominated the segment with us handling around 30,000 bookings online. Their price range from Rs 11,000 to 45,000 depending on where the match is held and when. We see a high demand for Mumbai and Mohali venues followed by Chennai, Nagpur, Ahmedabad and Delhi. "
