MUMBAI: On March 13, your boss will perhaps be drinking Cuba Libre or Jamaican Rum Punch and watching Umar Gul steam in to bowl to Chris Gayle. But you poor hapless soul in all probability will be denied leave and inundated with work. The good news is that the Indian travel and tourism industry has drawn up list of packages, plans and arrangements that will bring the World Cup excitement irrespective of where you are: in the Carribean or right here in India.

Start then with the fortunate ones. For those who can afford to spend the lakhs to be at the islands, the fun part could well dominate the itinerary. Their stay could be at the exotic-sounding Bougainvillea Beach or Almond Beach Village Resort in Barbados, or the Sandals Antigua Caribbean Village in Antigua; or better still, one could decide to camp in a luxury cruise for the whole of the month.

“Antigua is well known for its water sports like water skiing and has a variety of SPAs, while Barbados is known for its ecotourism that includes birding holidays,” said an official from a prominent travel agency. Bird watching is believed to be one of the favourite activities in the island.

The almost 50-day event is spread across eight islands, of which at least four might host the Indian team, depending on how the boys-in-blue perform. Interestingly, travel packages, for instance that of Thomas Cook, SOTC and TravelPort, cover tournament in parts. So one can choose to either see the matches in the first or the second round or even better, visit islands when the excitement is at its pitch during the final three matches.

For the more discerning fans, travel agencies recommend the cruise packages, especially if you are a latecomer and have failed to get rooms, a scarcity in the islands. So while the ship is docked at the venues, one can have reggae-filled carnivals and cocktail parties on board itself.

And if the hangover in the morning is too strong to venture out of the ship, the crew will make sure that you get the live feeds of the match on board. Back home in Mumbai, restaurant and bar owners across the city also plan to leverage the cricket frenzy that promises to grip the nation.

The Starboard Bar at Taj Palace, for example, plans to have a Caribbean Theme in place. “If someone can’t make it to the Caribbean, they can come to the Taj,” says Starboard manager Kartik Chadda.

They also plan to convert a section of the hotel to give a stadium-like feel, complete with big screens. Offers like a complimentary round of drinks for predicting the outcome of the next ball have been planned by them.

Initially, these places aren’t going to have a cover charge at least till the event reaches the Super Eight-stage. Tendulkar’s Restaurant on the other hand, plans a theme of “Eat cricket, drink cricket and watch cricket live,” says Mars Restaurants GM sales Jayendra Kulkarni.

They plan to make the event a larger than life experience, with giant screens and plan to create the right mood and ambience by decorating the place with flags and scoreboards.

The same theme will resonate in other restaurants under the Mars Restaurants banner like Not Just Jazz By The Bay and All Stir Fry. Night-clubs like Polly Esthers too haven’t been left behind, as they plan to show the matches in the backdrop of their usual song and dance routine.

Restaurants like Bombay Blue and The Noodle Bar also plan to show the matches on big screens while they are open. Same is the case for Opium Den at the Hilton, where they plan to screen the matches during bar hours.