Cricket World Cup 2023 Ignites Indian Travel Demand

28.08.2023 - 20:39 / skift.com / Saniya Zanpure / Airlines

Cricket is the most popular sport in India and has a huge fan base. Beyond just being a sport, it is deeply embedded in the nation’s culture, evoking intense emotions from the masses over the victories and losses of their favorite teams: 90% of the global cricket fandom consists of Indians, highlighting the cricket craze in the country. 

India is set to host the Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 after 12 years, from October 5 to November 19, 2023. The World Cup will be hosted in 10 cities and showcase the best of cricket with 48 one-day matches between the competing nations: Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands.

The event will start off with a repeat of the 2019 final between England and New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the largest cricket stadium in the world. With a capacity of 110,000 spectators, the stadium is located in the city of Ahmedabad in the Indian state of Gujarat. 

The travel industry is benefiting from the cricket fever. Accommodation searches in host cities for match days have, on average, grown by 237% over the past year. The much-awaited India vs. Pakistan match and the World Cup Finals are to be held in Ahmedabad. As a result, the city has emerged as the frontrunner, with a 1,702% surge in stay searches. 

The UK, U.S., Singapore, Australia, and Malaysia have topped the charts for inbound searches during the period. According to inbound flight search data from OTA Insight for the period from October to November 2023, flight searches have grown significantly relative to 2022 in the months leading up to the World Cup. These statistics highlight that it’s not just domestic travel that will boom; there will be an influx of fans from all around the world during the tournament.

Hotel rates across the host cities are witnessing a dramatic rise as October 5 draws near. Insights provided by RateGain reveal that from October to November, hotel rates across most cities are two to three times higher than the same period in 2022. Hotels in Pune, Ahmedabad, and Dharamshala are at the top, with prices up more than 300% over last year. These cities have considerably smaller hotel inventories in comparison to cities like Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru, which has resulted in highly inflated hotel rates.

Many travelers are expected to extend their stay to explore host cities. Industry players such as Oyo are expected to add 500 new hotels before the tournament starts to capture this demand. 

Besides hotels, travelers are also seeking alternative accommodations. MakeMyTrip is expanding its inventory of homestays to accommodate the growing demand.

Airfares for top venues like Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Kolkata have grown