The 11TH edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has got off to a flying start with demand for matches, especially that’s played over the weekends attracting a huge volume of bookings from travellers who intend travelling to watch their favourite team in action. IPL has given a new dimension to the concept of sports tourism, which is still in its infancy.
“We see a 30 per cent rise in the number of travellers booking their holidays where they combine a match experience with local sight-seeing. We are also seeing a spike in women-only travellers who have booked their hotels and sightseeing options. This has grown by 20 per cent,” Karan Anand, Head Relationships, Cox & Kings, said.
The IPL matches are being played at Mohali, Jaipur, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Interestingly, the tourist places within 250 – 300 kms of the host cities have also observed an increase in the inflow of tourists. Chandigarh, Jodhpur, Aurangabad, Alibaug, Agra, Mysore, Puducherry are destinations that are much in demand.
Also, hotels are cashing in as this is the low season for many of the city-specific hotels and their weekend occupancies have climbed from a dismal 30 per cent to 80 per cent during the match days.
Cox & Kings is offering special customised itineraries around the IPL dates.
