NEW DELHI: Indians take part in first major cricket event after international travel restrictions eased – the ICC The 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup which kicks off in Australia on October 16. Tickets for the India-Pakistan match on October 23 (a day before Diwali) at the Melbourne Cricket Ground have already been sold out, according to Tourism Australia. So far, the maximum demand for ticket sales for the matches, with the final taking place on November 13, has come from India.
“Based on our sales data so far, we have sold 40% of our packages in India, 27% in North America, 18% in Australia, 15% in the UK and Rest of the World. Hotel rooms across Melbourne have already sold out An estimated 45-50,000 fans are expected in Melbourne for the India-Pakistan game General admission tickets sold out within minutes with only a handful left of VIP hospitality experiences,” says Ash Chawla of Global Sports Travel, an Australian-Indian sports experiences company with global sales rights to ICC “hospitality packages.”
Manoj Saraf, Gainwell Sports MD, said: “Hospitality tickets for India vs Pakistan were in peak demand and sold out two months ago. They (ICC) have just launched a new product called Boundary Club with only 300 tickets for India-Pak which will also be sold out this week. India v South Africa in Perth is the next high demand game… Global hospitality inventory is being taken very quickly and should be complete for all India games by August. Most of our sales have been to Indians who will be traveling to Australia, but there have also been a decent amount of sales to NRIs from Africa, UK and Australia.
Australia was originally supposed to host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cups from October 18 to November 15, 2020. Tourism Australia had planned to attract hundreds of thousands of Indian visitors for the mega events. But then Covid hit and world travel froze. She now wants to achieve in 2022 what was planned for 2020.
Nishant Kashikar, Country Director for Tourism Australia (India and Gulf), told TOI: “This year the tournament coincides with the Diwali holiday period and should be a huge draw. We have already seen massive demand with India v Pakistan match tickets selling out soon after they went on sale and India’s other matches are also sought after not only by avid cricket fans but also by size medium to large. companies for whom the World Cup represents a perfect opportunity to reward and incentivize their stakeholders.
According to Tourism Australia, in the pre-pandemic era, India was the fastest growing inbound market with six consecutive years of double-digit growth. India has also been Australia’s fastest growing inbound tourism market for three consecutive years, pre-Covid.
“While we are already seeing impressive growth in terms of visitor visas, which are significantly above pre-Covid levels, the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup presents us with a huge opportunity to take things to the next level. We look forward to welcoming our Indian guests for an unforgettable cricketing experience at our iconic stadiums and giving them a taste of our truly distinct way of life,” said Kashikar.
“Australia and India have a strong bond through their shared love of cricket.…To make it one of the greatest sporting spectacles in the world, a range of offers and packages are being introduced for Indian travelers in partnership with ICC official ticketing and hospitality agents,” Kashikar added.
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