Cricket fans gear up to visit India for T-20 World Cup, says study

MUMBAI: Cricket fans from across the globe are gearing up to visit India to cheer for their favourite team during the upcoming T-20 cricket World Cup. Data compiled by travel search engine Skyscanner shows 25 per cent year-on-year increase in searches to first-time host country India during the tournament which be played from March 8 to April 3, 2016.

"Over the years, we have seen a rise in sports tourism with fans travelling across continents in support of their favourite sporting events. This growth has been accelerated with favourable initiatives by the government, including the introduction of the e-Visa facility being available to countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Netherlands, Oman and the United Kingdom," Ravish Doctor, manager - growth strategy, Skyscanner India said in a press statement.

Australia clearly overshadows other participating cricket countries, with a 107 per cent year-on-year increase in flight searches to India, says the study. Supporters of debut team Oman too are gearing up to support their team, with 30 per cent year-on year increase in searches.

The supporters of qualifier teams such as Ireland (58 per cent), Netherlands (42 per cent), Oman (30 per cent) and Hong Kong (17 per cent) are also streaming into India for the highly anticipated event in the international cricket calendar.
The study shows the percentage increase in searches from these destinations to India during December 1, 2015 to February 20, 2016 for the travel period between March 1, 2016 to April 3, 2016, as compared to December 1, 2014 to February 20, 2015 for the travel period between March 1, 2015 to April 3, 2015.