TBM Staff - Mumbai With the upcoming ICC World Cup and uptick in bleisure, FCM India has seen a surge in corporate hotel bookings and air tickets. “Given the immense popularity of cricket in the Indian subcontinent, it is no surprise that FCM India has seen an average of 31 per cent price surge in corporate hotel bookings during the ICC World Cup 2023 versus the same period in 2022 as Bleisure is here to stay. This is also a 19 per cent price increase as compared to 2019,” said Gaurav Luthra, Managing Director, FCM India.
FCM India compared 10 cities in India hosting the cricket World Cup matches and saw the most significant price increase was of 472 per cent in Lucknow, followed by 82 per cent increase in Pune, 77 per cent increase in Hyderabad, 47 per cent increase in Mumbai, and 20 per cent increase in Ahmedabad.
Despite the increase in price, FCM India has seen an increase of 58 per cent in the number of nights booked within 10 cities* versus 2022.
(*Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi/NCR, Dharamsala, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Pune).
38% Increase in Domestic Air Tickets Booked
The average number of domestic air tickets booked has increased by 38 per cent compared to the same period in 2022. Kolkata saw the highest uptick of 104 per cent, Lucknow 97 per cent, Delhi 49 per cent and Bangalore 46 per cent.
“Lately, due to the increase in air seat capacity, domestic airfares in India have started to dip in prices. The average increase in prices is just 7 per cent as compared to 2022. With airlines planning to expand their capacity to meet the heightened demand during cricket matches, there is optimism that airfares may not see a spike as drastic as hotels.”
“Host cities such as Ahmedabad hosting the most sought-after India versus Pakistan match experienced just a surge of 17 per cent when it comes to corporate travel bookings which are generally made less than 7 days in advance.”
“For September, India’s domestic seat capacity is at 105 per cent and is almost as strong as its international seat capacity at 103 per cent. October shows both domestic and international capacity at 102 per cent. Cricket enthusiasts welcome this additional seat capacity, and we expect that flights will be filled up quickly,” concluded Luthra.
