ICC World Cup 2023: Homestays emerge as fan favorites as supply strengthens in host cities

The initial overs of the opening ICC ODI World Cup match between England and New Zealand saw many empty seats in the stadium.

The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 has led to a strong increase in booking demand for homestays with more travellers exploring alternate accommodations.

With higher demand, the supply for this segment has also increased especially during the period when the cricket tournament is being held from October to November 19 in India.

Homestays, traditionally favored in leisure destinations, are currently enjoying strong interest across all cities hosting (World Cup) matches, said Rajesh Magow, Co-founder and Group CEO, of MakeMyTrip.

"Cricket fans are booking varied alternate accommodation options as seen by the booking contribution pie. In the alternate accommodation segment, hostels have emerged most popular for World Cup stay bookings, followed by apartments, and homestays. Unique stays and villas have a smaller contribution so far," he said.

Also read: World Cup 2023: Flight searches up 15% for inbound travel, highest demand from Australia

He added that the advance purchase window for homestays has increased in cities hosting matches. "Previously, only 13 percent of bookings were made in advance (over 30 days prior to check-in), as compared to 22 percent for the cricket tournament. Also, October check-in bookings are demonstrating longer average lengths of stay, particularly in hostels and homestays, with hostels increasing from 1.6 to 2.3 nights and homestays from 2.1 to 2.4 nights," he added.

The travel firm added that the significant surge in search of homestay properties for October and November in select cities across the country is a good sign and indicates that cricket fans are more willing than ever to explore homestays as an accommodation option.

Airbnb data points out that the surge in searches for stays in India during the (World Cup) tournament days, has made the country as the go to destination for cricket fans from all over the world. "Leading the pack are fans from the United Kingdom, followed by supporters from Australia and New Zealand," the hospitality firm said.

The influx of international travellers offers a significant economic boost to the local Hosts, said Amanpreet Singh Bajaj, Airbnb’s General Manager, India, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. "It’s heartening to see that the spirit of cricket, combined with the warmth of Indian hospitality, is resonating with the fans globally. As hosts from various parts of India open doors to their home, they aren’t just offering a play to stay but an immersive experience, enabling them to truly live the World Cup fever,” he said.

Also read: World Cup 2023: How the 10 host cities stack up in travel and hotel bookings

The company has seen a 4,000 percent surge in searches for accommodations in Ahmedabad for the much-awaited match between India and Pakistan on October 14, the host city, for check-ins on that date.

Santosh Kumar, Country Manager for India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia at Booking.com, an online travel platform pointed out that in a lot of cities, there is not enough supply which has led to an increase in demand for homestays.

Supply increase

"Like in Ahmedabad, the demand is high and the demand is spilling out to alternate destinations. There is an influx of new supply in the alternate accommodations segment as there are homeowners who are renting out their properties during the World Cup. Last quarter (April-May-June), roughly about 34 percent of gross bookings came in the alternative accommodation segment. It is consistently growing. Last year it was up about 25 percent. It is growing faster than the traditional accommodation segment," he said.

Many homeowners in Ahmedabad started listing their properties before the start of the World Cup on online platforms and have received many queries for bookings.

Also read: ICC World Cup 2023: How will home advantage impact businesses amid festive season?

Many new listings are available for homestays and villas in Ahmedabad on Airbnb for October. MakeMyTrip has increased supply in the alternate accommodation segment. It has strengthened supply across all match venues, with a specific focus on Ahmedabad, where it has increased inventory by 31 percent, followed by Dharamshala at 15 percent and Lucknow at 14 percent, Magow said.

High prices

The surge in demand for accommodations during the World Cup has led to a significant uptick in rates for homestay properties.

With many homeowners in Ahmedabad renting out their properties as the city is seeing one of the highest demand, owners have increased rates 20-fold especially for the India-Pakistan match on October 14, according to reports.

Also read: World Cup 2023: Ad revenue to surpass Rs 2,000 crore amid festive cheer

A homeowner who has his property listed on Airbnb for Rs 35,000 per night has increased the price to Rs 1,21,500 for October 14, according to an Indian Express report.

Similarly, other homeowners in Ahmedabad have increased prices 3 to 7x in October.