How India Can Boost Sports Tourism - India Report

16.10.2024 - 05:15 / skift.com / Bulbul Dhawan / Ajay Bakaya

India’s sports tourism market is expected to grow at an annual rate of 17% and reach $53 billion by 2033. A new report by KPMG – ‘Harnessing India’s Sports Tourism Potential’ – looks at the challenges India faces in capturing this potential. 

“The sports tourism sector, while lucrative and rapidly expanding, also poses several weaknesses and threats that need to be addressed persistently to harness its full potential,” the report said.

It listed challenges such as outdated and poor-quality infrastructure, road congestion and pollution, and over-dependence of some destinations on sports tourism. It also raised the seasonality of sporting events as an issue, and the need for heightened security at high-profile events.

To offset these, the report suggested certain measures: 

Earlier this year, a report by travel services company Collinson showed that about 80% sports fans in India are traveling for experience. More than 50% of Indian sports travelers are also spending over $500 per trip per person. For a country where middle class individuals have an annual income between $6,000 and $36,000, this is a significant amount.

In June, Skift had reported that online travel companies were witnessing up to 40% surge in demand for big-ticket global sporting events, including cricket World Cup series, Wimbledon, the Olympics, and F1.

Indian airline IndiGo’s corporate venture capital fund IndiGo Ventures has received the approval from capital market watchdog Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Through this fund, IndiGo aims to invest in startups that “have the potential to redefine the future of aviation and beyond,” the airline said in a statement. 

More specifically, it will look at ventures that will work on technologies and solutions within the aviation sector, and consumer startups having a touchpoint in the passenger journey across travel, lifestyle, hospitality, and transportation aspects. 

IndiGo Ventures has set up the portal and is engaging with a few startups and their founders. The airline expects to start investments by the end of the 2025 fiscal year. 

Sarovar Hotels has opened Golden Tulip Vagator in North Goa. The 30-key retreat is a part of the hotel chain’s strategy to expand its footprint in Goa. 

Ajay Bakaya, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels, said that Goa is a vital market for the company as the region is witnessing consistent growth in tourism. 

The company has more than 125 operational hotels in India and overseas. It aims to have 150 operational hotels in India by the end of 2025. “These are conservative numbers. I want to ensure that we open hotels smoothly and properly rather than in a rush,” Bakaya said to Skift in an earlier interview. The company is looking at a pipeline of