Take the case of Mumbai’s The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. The room rate around November 2, when a qualifier will be played in the city, has risen to over Rs 55,000.
The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, set to be played from October 5 to November 19 across 10 cities in India, is still three months away, but the excitement among fans is already high, steering travel demand in the country. India is hosting the World Cup after 12 years.
Bookings are already full for cities where key matches are slated to be played, like the clash between India and Pakistan in Ahmedabad has led to “a 46% spike in searches for travel and tickets for the stipulated period of the World Cup”, said Nishant Pitti, CEO and co-founder, EaseMyTrip. Thomas Cook (India) has seen a 80-100% surge in demand for October-November compared to last year, Rajeev Kale, president & country head, holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India), told FE.
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As a result, airfares have climbed as much as 50%, especially for top match venues, with Ahmedabad witnessing a whopping rise of 50-60%, Mumbai 40-50%, and Kolkata 30-40%. “Other match venues such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Dharamsala, Hyderabad, Lucknow and Pune are also seeing a 20-40% surge in fares,” said Indiver Rastogi, president & group head, global business travel, Thomas Cook (India) and SOTC Travel.
While airfares have risen considerably on match days, “the rates for 4/5-star hotels have surged by an astonishing 10-15 times,” said Bharatt Malik, senior VP, flights and hotel business, Yatra Online.
Take the case of Mumbai’s The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. The room rate around November 2, when a qualifier will be played in the city, has risen to over Rs 55,000.
This would have otherwise cost almost half of that, a search on Google reveals. Similarly, a room at Hyatt Regency Kolkata, which would have cost around Rs 7,000 otherwise, is selling at Rs 40,000 around November 5, when the India vs South Africa match is slated to be played.
The most crucial here is Ahmedabad, which will host three crucial matches: the opener, the final, and the high-octane India vs Pakistan clash. The city “is witnessing massive demand, with almost all rooms being sold out around the World Cup 2023. Hotel tariffs have experienced a significant surge, with prices soaring up to 10x their usual rates for a single night’s stay,” said Pitti. Rooms are already unavailable at some of the top hotels in the city, such as Courtyard by Marriott, ITC Narmada, Novotel Ahmedabad, Hyatt, and Taj Skyline for the dates around the India vs Pakistan match on October 15. Prices have risen substantially at others. For example, a room at Pride Plaza Hotel on SG Highway that would have cost around Rs 5,000 otherwise is selling for over Rs 45,000 around October 15.
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The same is reflected in flight tickets too. “The price of an economy class ticket from Delhi to Ahmedabad typically ranges around Rs 2,800 in the months of August and September. However, on the day before the match (October 14), the price for the same ticket would increase significantly,” said Pitti. A Google search revealed that Delhi-Ahmedabad flight tickets for October 14 at present are over Rs 11,000.
The World Cup frenzy is so high that “despite increased airfares and hotel rates, we are witnessing over 100% surge in demand for travel among cricket enthusiasts across segments for the upcoming October-November period. What is noteworthy is that this demand is emerging not only from metros and mini metros but also tier 2 and 3 cities,” said D’Souza. According to the Skyscanner’s Travel in Focus Report released earlier this month, 75% of respondents are willing to increase their travel budget to experience live cricket matches.
Interestingly, besides hotels, customers are also seeking alternate accommodations like apartments and homestays in the vicinity of the match destination, thereby also extending their visit to explore the destination in-depth,” D’Souza added.
Evidently, this cricket tourism is a boon for the industry. “We are confident that cricket-led tourism will get a major boost in the latter half of the year,” said Rajesh Magow, co-founder & group CEO of MakeMyTrip.
