T20 World Cup boosts tourism

While India is gearing up to host the T20 World Cup, the country is also likely to play host to fans from across the globe who are eager to witness their favourite team at the event, in a move that would inevitably boost tourism.

Data from leading travel search engine Skyscanner revealed that a 25% year-over-year (YoY) increase has been recorded in searches for India for travel between March 8 and April 3, which is when the cricket tournament will be held.

While South Africa might have lost its numero uno ranking in the shortest format of the sport, fans from that country have not lost their enthusiasm, with a 50% YoY increase in flight searches recorded. Supporters of qualifier teams such as Ireland (58%), Netherlands (42%), Oman (30%) and Hong Kong (17%) are also searching for flights to India for the highly-anticipated event.

"Over the years, we have seen a rise in sports tourism with fans travelling across continents in support of their favourite sporting teams. This growth has been accelerated with favourable initiatives introduced by the Indian government, including the introduction of the e-Visa facility for countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Netherlands, Oman and the UK. While Australia overshadows other participating cricket countries with a 107% YoY increase in flight searches, it is encouraging to see supporters of debut team Oman in the running with a 30% YoY increase," said Ravish Doctor, manager (growth strategy), Skyscanner India.