As World Cup fever catches on, fares to Australia set to zoom

Are you planning to be at the Adelaide Oval on February 15 to watch India take on arch rival Pakistan in the ICC Cricket World Cup?

Time is running out for this incredible encounter, which kicks off less than 100 days from now. The good news, however, is that tickets are still available for the India-Pakistan, India-South Africa and other high octane fixtures from travel agents approved by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The bad news is that you may end up paying 40 per cent higher for travel packages if you do not book within the next 10 days.

The reason: Flight tickets between India and key cities in Australia and New Zealand are expected to soar in the next few weeks, said 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 to Sydney or Melbourne. Carriers with direct or one-stop connections to Adelaide are almost booked out for February 14,” he says.

World Cup fever is building up in a big way among cricket fans. It is not just the high-flyers but solo travellers, families and couples who are keen on getting a ringside view of the action. Travel packages from agents are priced upwards of Rs 1.2 lakh depending on the number of days and other inclusions.

“I know of middle-class families that have been saving since 2011 to be in Australia and New Zealand,” said Anant Roongta, Director of Fanatic Sports, another ICC-approved sports tours company. Cutting Edge Events and TUI-ICE are the other official travel agents for the World Cup.

According to Tourism Australia’s Country Manager (India and Gulf), Nishant Kashikar, at least 5000-6,000 cricket enthusiasts could travel from India for the games next year.

Travel agents say that enquiries from clients have doubled in the last one month. “Timing-wise its perfect as February-March is summer Down Under. Moreover, the Indian mindset is such that if one has come all the way to Australia, they would do New Zealand as well and combine it with the cricket,” says Roongta.

Mishra and Roongta declined to share the number of packages they can retail citing ICC regulations for travel agents.

Though tickets for the India-Pakistan game were sold out on the ICC Travel website as early as June, authorised travel agents still have enough inventory. After India-Pakistan, the next most sought after match is India-South Africa, scheduled to be held at Melbourne on February 26.

“We have already sold 40-50 per cent of the total inventory for the World Cup,” says Roongta.

Australia and New Zealand are leaving no stone unturned in ensuring a strong turnout of Indians for the mega event.

Shibani Phadkar, Senior Vice-President at Thomas Cook says the recent Trans-Tasman joint visa agreement (which grants travellers with an existing Australian visa, a visa on arrival at New Zealand during the World Cup period) will serve as a catalyst in stimulating demand. It will also ease documentation for Indians travelling to Australia and New Zealand, said Phadkar.

Tourism Australia is keen to forge media partnerships to showcase the country’s tourism during the mega event. It plans to promote incentive-driven travel for corporates who wish to reward their top performers with the experience of watching ‘live’ matches, says Kashikar.

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