So much for the love of sports: 41% Indians would rather lose their job than miss a historic match

42% Indian sports fans may even choose to miss their honeymoon for a big event.

By PTI | Nov 28, 2019, 07.00 PM IST

41 per cent of Indian sports fans surveyed said they would rather lose their job than not be able to attend a historic sporting final or event compared to the global average of 18 per cent.

MUMBAI: With sports tourism gaining momentum in the country, 41 per cent of respondents said they would rather prefer to lose their jobs than not be able to attend a historic sporting event, a study has revealed.

According to a study by the digital travel company Booking.com, 41 per cent of Indian sports fans surveyed said they would rather lose their job than not be able to attend a historic sporting final or event compared to the global average of 18 per cent.

Similarly, the study also found that 42 per cent of Indian sports fans (highest globally) said they would cancel their honeymoon if it clashed with their team or athlete playing a big game compared to the global average of 19 per cent.

The study, commissioned by Booking.com, was done among 22,603 sports fans over 18 years in 29 markets, including 1,000 each from Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Japan, China, Brazil, India, US, UK, Russia, Indonesia, Colombia and South Korea.

About 500 each from New Zealand, Thailand, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong, Croatia, Taiwan, Mexico, Netherlands, Sweden, Singapore and Israel.

The data was collected between August 8 and September 2, 2019.

"With major international cricket and athletics tournaments in 2020 and the excitement of the UEFA EURO 2020, next year will be an unforgettable year for sports," Booking.com country manager, India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Ritu Mehrotra said.

Further, the study revealed that 82 per cent of Indian sports fans said they took one to five trips last year with six in 10 (60 per cent) declaring they plan to travel both domestically and internationally to watch their team or player in the future.

After shortlisting the event, Indian sports fans look for an affordable place to stay, it said.

Top considerations for Indian sports buffs when looking for accommodation are affordability (82 per cent) and location (80 per cent) in relation to the stadium or venue.

Yet, the study found that even as affordability is important for the Indian sports fans, 37 per cent admitted that they would be willing to pay more for sports travel than their family vacation.

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