Cricket buffs opt for a T20 holiday

Sep 28, 2012 - Sana Yaseen

Travel buffs are packing their bags for Sri Lanka to enjoy both travel and cricket

As the Men in Blue gear up for the T20 battle royale, fans back home have their tickets booked, bags packed. They’ll be where the action is — on a quick holiday in Lanka.

Groups of friends, students, young professionals, cricket fanatics and even families are making a beeline for the adrenaline-thumping ICC World Twenty20 cricket tournament. And packing exciting cricket and scenic sightseeing into an attractive combo, travel agencies are offering many interesting packages for a Sri Lanka trip.
“Everyone loves cricket in India and the tournament is being held in Sri Lanka, which is not very far from here. So, the exciting and affordable packages have many takers in the city,” says chief business officer-holidays Mohit Gupta from MakeMyTrip travel agency, which is offering many packages that include trips to beautiful beaches like Bentota. Other packages include group travel, super eight, single match and semi-final and final matches.
To make the packages more attractive many travel agencies are offering team jerseys, merchandise, complimentary food and beverages, parking pass, opportunity to meet the team and more exciting options apart from guaranteed match tickets.
Naveen Kumar, assistant general manager from travel agency TUI, says that they are receiving more than 20 queries for the travel packages everyday. “The sales for extended weekend from October 3 to October 8 that includes semi-final and final matches is about 50 percent higher than other packages. Though mostly families are booking these tours, we are also receiving queries from students and groups of friends starting at `13,985 per person,” he adds.
One such cricket fan, who is heading to Sri Lanka with his friends, says it’s a perfect time to holiday in Sri Lanka. “I am a travel enthusiast and couldn’t resist planning a holiday coinciding with the matches. I have already booked my tickets for the final match to be played in Colombo and hope India will make it to the finals so that my friends and I get to cheer for our team,” laughs IT expert Jiten Jain. Another cricket fan is already packing his bags for India vs Pakistan match on Sunday. “The match will be exciting and since it is happening on the weekend, I am looking forward to an action-packed three-day short trip,” says investment banker Anshul Bajaj.
Since many friends are packing their bags to have a blast during the matches, Club Mahindra is offering packages for student groups that can be customised according to travellers’ choice.
“To make these packages affordable, we let people choose number of travellers, places and days to stay in Sri Lanka,” says Akshaya, an agent from Club Mahindra.

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