The mother of all sports in India - cricket - is all set to send the country into mass hysteria with the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup. Reema Sisodia finds out what the travel service providers are offering in anticipation of this mega event

Cricket in India spells magic and probably the only unifying factor in an otherwise diverse and large country. The upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup that will run through March and April 2007 will be no exception as the entire nation comes together to cheer for the men in blue.

Such is the passion for the sport that there are people who are willing to travel all the way across the Atlantic to the Caribbean, putting the idiot box to rest. To cater to this demand, there are travel service providers in India who are working overtime to give cricket fanatics their most memorable and interesting travel package, clubbing cricket along with a vacation.

Famous five

Five travel agents in India have been appointed as the official agents from India for the event by the ICC officials after scanning through over 100 applications. These include Air Cruise Travels, Friends Globe Travels, Pyramid Travels India, SOTC Sports Abroad, and Trust Travel & Tours. Zakkir Ahmed, managing director of Trust Travel & Tours, says, "Our selection was based on past experiences we have in handling previous major sporting events and the performance of the agency in general especially in sports tourism. We at our end have also invested heavily in the project. It is not like other tour bookings wherein cancellations can be 25 to 30 per cent in terms of the damages. Here, a cancellation could lead to a 100 per cent loss. But at the end of it, it is worth investing and the response we have received is definitely positive. We have already had 400-plus confirmed bookings."

SOTC Sports Abroad has already registered 300 pax bookings and expects to reach the 1,000-mark. But apart from the official names, there are others who have also jumped onto the bandwagon and have designed packages especially for the World Cup. As a word of caution, Ahmed adds, "Anyone buying packages (that also includes match tickets) through agents not recognised by ICC could be barred from entering the venue." But this has not deterred others to float tour packages without the match tickets since they can be issued only by the five official ICC agents. Travel agents have realised the power of cricket with respect to tourism." SOTC Sports Abroad offers four individual packages for the event.

What's on offer

Foreseeing the shortage of accomodation in these islands, several companies have introduced cruise packages. The Geographical Company, a part of the Modi Group, has collaborated with Silversea Fleet and has chartered its luxurious cruise liner 'Silver Wind' to sail the West Indies during the month of April 2007. The company has designed exclusive cruise packages which spans 11 days commencing from April 9 from Puerto Rico and visiting Barbados four times. It may be noted that India is playing the 'Super 8' matches in Barbados during the same days.

Ritika Modi, director of Geographical Company, said "Many of the rich and famous have already marked these days off from their schedules to enjoy India and Pakistan matches, play golf and relax. We have collaborated with Silversea to create an exceptional ocean voyage targeted at industry leaders and accomplished professionals who will opt to sail with us to rediscover a lifestyle of genuine and refined hospitality with the unique opportunity to enjoy live cricket. It proves to be a complete programme both off and on the deck. The hospitality package containing the match ticket is available from the official hospitality agents."

Shankar Vishwanathan, who heads a Bangalore-based tour company Sports Services says, "Though we are not issuing tickets to the matches, our packages to the Caribbean have become popular for its user-friendly and affordable aspect. Most people travelling with us have already got their tickets organised through their own sources."

Sports, and beyond

Cricket, like Bollywood, also proved that it can work magic for tourism of a country. South Africa, for instance, boosted its tourist figures during the 2003 World Cup Cricket. This time the Caribbean Islands are leaving no stone unturned to promote the region and Jamaica has already established its presence in India through TRAC Representation, making it the first Caribbean island to enter the country. Bardados Tourism also visited India on January 9 and 10, 2007 to promote the event alongside its tourist attractions.

Meanwhile, Mumbai-based Travelport has also designed cricket packages to Sri Lanka clubbed with exotic tour packages with the support of Sri Lankan Tourism Board and Sri Lankan Airlines. Vipan Sharma, director of Air Cruise Travels, says, "We have specialised in sports tourism for a long time and there is tremendous potential in the business, especially cricket. Today travelling for sports is not only restricted to the rich and famous; the demand has spread across segments. More than 5,000 people travelled with us for the cricket tour to Pakistan. We also received encouraging response for the DLF Cup Tri Series that was held in Malaysia."

He adds that he is looking not only at sports but also beyond it. "We have made our contacts with officials in the Caribbean and are ready to sell the region as an ideal exotic tourist destination, especially for honeymooners. We are already representing the premium Sandals & Beaches Resorts for the last three years. Niche is definitely the way forward." Its official; cricket is ready to spell magic for tourism, giving travel a new dimension altogether.

Source : expresstravelworld.com