Writer George Bernard Shaw supposedly remarked that in cricket “11 fools are batting, 11 fools are bowling, and 11,000 fools are watching.”
Actually, the number of attendees at the last Cricket World Cup, held in 2019 in England and Wales, was more than 750,000. And it's that crowd that hoteliers in India, where the 2023 competition will run from Oct. 5 to Nov. 19, are rubbing their hands over. This is the premier contest in the world’s most-watched sport, and it is held every four years.
More spectators are expected this year in India, where cricket is the most popular sport by a wide margin, and the country's population is greater than 1.4 billion.
Indian hoteliers expect rooms demand to pick up in late September. Almost 50 Cricket World Cup matches will be played across 10 cities, including Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, with the final in Ahmedabad. Ten national sides are competing, including Australia, England, India, New Zealand and Pakistan.
According to the International Cricket Council, for the 2019 cup more than 500,000 hotel room nights were booked — 128,385 by international visitors — producing revenue of approximately £46.5 million ($59.23 million).
Cricket was invented in England and exported via its former empire around the world, but today it is Asia where the game has its most fervent support.
Vishal Kamat, director of Kamat Group of Hotels, said “cricket has a following globally, [but] I do not know to what extent or volume fans will travel to India for the cricket. It is unlike [soccer], which has a larger and more fanatical base in the West. Those people will travel anywhere.”
England’s most fervent cricket supporters — known as the Barmy Army — do travel widely for matches.
“[Hosting the World Cup] is a great thing for the nation. It changes the mood also, and if India wins, nothing like it will have been seen, and the whole period will see euphoria and madness. Bookings have started, queries are coming in, travel agents are blocking the dates,” Kamat said.
Nikhil Sharma, market managing director for Eurasia at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, said that “during the upcoming World Cup cricket matches, our hotels in Ahmedabad, Chennai, Lucknow, Kolkata and Mumbai are witnessing unprecedented demand, with bookings surpassing those on other dates.”
“The fervor of fans has driven this exceptional demand, underscoring the importance for travelers to secure their accommodations in advance during this time,” he added.
Parveen Chander, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Indian Hotels Company Limited, which owns the Taj hotel brand, among others, said bookings are coming from “the teams, match officials, production crew and fans from all over the world who are coming to support their teams.”
Hotel demand will be predominantly from India and neighboring Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
“Travelers will be predominantly Indians and Pakistanis. There will be movement among [Indians] to where the host country is playing, and hotels in those cities are experiencing high occupancy rates,” Chander said.
Wyndham's Sharma said India's economy, not just its hotel industry, is getting a significant boost from the event.
“Room rates have surged by more than 50%, underscoring the event's remarkable impact. With 70% of hotels already pre-booked, last-minute reservations are unlikely,” he said.
Hitting Middle Stump
“The cynosure of all eyes is Ahmedabad,” Sharma said of the city that will host the opening game, England versus New Zealand, as well as three other matches and the final.
Kamat said Ahmedabad’s dominance in room bookings for the cup is undeniable.
“Its position as a top choice has been further solidified by the honor of hosting the much-anticipated India versus Pakistan match on Oct. 14, along with the privilege of hosting the final match. Seventy percent of the available inventory has already been reserved for Oct. 14, showcasing the immense anticipation and excitement surrounding the high-stakes encounter,” he said.
IHCL’s Chander said there is also robust demand for hotels in the cities of Mumbai and Pune.
“There has been a reasonable increase in prices, which is acceptable but not to an absurd level, which is what I have heard about Ahmedabad, where room rates have been hiked to 1 lakh,” which is equivalent to 100,000 Indian rupees or $1,200.
“Such high rates are not good for the long-term business, as the bread and butter come from business and leisure travelers, and we should not create a dissatisfaction in that category,” he said.
Kamat said that Indian residents are notorious for making last-minute travel decisions and bookings, even if it means rates might be even higher.
“If that happens, it will be closer to the date with a play-it-by-ear approach,” Kamat said. “There is movement, but more movement will be closer to the date. As Indians, we do not plan our travel programs in advance, and we are last-minute travelers. We do not mind paying a premium then, so it will be last minute when we see more action.”
Sharma said he expects cricket fans also will visit cultural treasures during their stays. He said he has seen a surge of room bookings in Ahmedabad, Chennai, Lucknow and Mumbai.
Hoteliers are hopeful cricket fans will add extra nights, amenities and tours to their trips.
“There will be customized pre- and post-match tour itineraries in collaboration with travel partners,” Chander said.
“We will have something happening, menu-driven by cricket or the favorite dishes of cricketers. Food festivals, relevant décor and with all the zing to celebrate,” Kamat added.
Of course, it's difficult to predict the hotel impact during the entirety of the Cricket World Cup. A lot depends on the tournament's results.
“Nothing has been firmed up. It will be driven by [match] results and how the games proceed,” Chander said.