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If you plan to be at the Adelaide Oval to watch India take on arch rival Pakistan in the cricket World Cup next year, you better book your tickets now.
With less than 100 days for the tournament to begin, time is running out. While the good news is that tickets are still available for the India-Pakistan and other high octane fixtures, you may end up paying 40 per cent higher if you do not book within the next 10 days. Flight tickets between India and key cities in Australia and New Zealand, where the ICC Cricket World Cup is to be held, are expected to soar in the next few weeks, says Shashank Shekhar Mishra, founder and CEO of Sports Konnect, an ICC authorised sports management company.
“Adelaide (where India takes on Pakistan) is not as well connected compared with Sydney or Melbourne. Carriers with direct or one-stop connections to Adelaide are almost booked out for February 14,” he says. India will play Pakistan on February 15.
Travel packages World Cup fever is catching on and this time round it’s not just the high-flyers but also solo travellers, families and couples who are keen on getting a ringside view of the action. Travel packages from the agents are currently priced upwards of ₹1.2 lakh . “I know of middle-class families that have been saving since 2011 to be in Australia and New Zealand,” says Anant Roongta, Director of Fanatic Sports, another ICC approved sports tours company. Cutting Edge Events and TUI-ICE are the other official travel agents.
Tourism Australia’s Country Manager (India and Gulf) Nishant Kashikar says at least 5,000-6,000 cricket enthusiasts could travel from India for the matches. Travel agents say client enquiries have doubled in the past month. “Timing-wise, it’s perfect as February/March is summer Down Under,” says Roongta. Mishra and Roongta declined to share the number of packages they can sell, citing ICC regulations.
“We have already sold 40-50 per cent of the total inventory for the World Cup,” says Roongta. For their part, Australia and New Zealand are leaving no stone unturned to ensure a strong Indian turnout. The recent Trans-Tasman joint visa agreement (which grants travellers with Australian visa, a visa on arrival to New Zealand during the World Cup period) will boost demand, says Shibani Phadkar, Senior Vice-President at Thomas Cook.
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