T20 World Cup triggers travel boom; flight bookings surge, fares and hotels get costlier

Narendra Modi Stadium

• T20 World Cup drives 65 percent surge in flight bookings
• Hotel bookings in host cities up 50–300 percent, nearing sold out
• Airfares and hotel rates spike sharply around match dates

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The ongoing T20 World Cup has triggered a sharp surge in travel demand, with platforms reporting a nearly 65 percent jump in flight bookings and a 50 percent rise in hotel reservations as fans criss-cross Indian and Sri Lankan cities to watch the games live.

The month-long tournament, which is being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka and began on February 7,  has led to a travel spike that started building weeks earlier.

“Flight bookings around the tournament window are up by over 20 percent compared to the January baseline and non-event periods,” Manjari Singhal, chief growth and business officer at Cleartrip, told Moneycontrol.

Lankan capital city of Colombo, which hosts India-Pakistan tie on February 15, has emerged as a "breakout destination", recording a 65 percent surge in demand, as travellers combine match day with short-haul getaways.

Cleartrip also launched a dedicated “ticket to cricket” section to help fans book match-linked flights and hotels seamlessly with event-specific offers.

Searches peaked in January

Travel interest began rising in December and peaked in January,  travel site WanderOn CEO Govind Gaurav said.

“We are still witnessing queries and bookings for stays during the match dates,” he said, noting a 46 percent surge in flight bookings during the second and third weeks of January on his platform, and an overall 65 percent rise in bookings during that period across the industry.

“January saw a high uptick in search volumes to host cities, especially once match schedules were confirmed,” he said .

EaseMyTrip’s CEO and co-founder Rikant Pittie said after fixtures were announced in November, flight searches to host cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Ahmedabad, rose steadily, peaking in January.

“During the week of January 19, search volumes jumped 62 percent week-on-week, followed by another 34 percent rise the week after — the highest levels seen for the tournament,” Pittie said.

Airfares climb 45–50 percent

Airfares have risen 45–50 percent, with routes such as Delhi–Ahmedabad, Mumbai–Chennai and Kolkata–Mumbai witnessing the steepest spikes, Gaurav said.

Pittie added that fares to Colombo have surged sharply, with Mumbai–Colombo round-trip tickets for February match dates climbing to around Rs 50,000. Domestic routes to Indian host cities have seen fares double or even triple during marquee fixtures.

For instance, flights to Ahmedabad for the India–Netherlands match on February 18 range between Rs 7,674 and Rs 16,320. Two days earlier, fares ranged between Rs 6,964 and Rs 9,966, reflecting nearly a 64 percent jump at the higher end.

Hotels nearing sold out

Hotel bookings are witnessing an even sharper spike.

TravClan CEO and co-founder Arun Bagaria said hotel bookings during later-stage matches have jumped 50–300 percent, with occupancy levels in key metros climbing significantly.

“We expect hotels of all types in host cities to reach near 100 percent occupancy. Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) could rise two to three times on match days,” he said.

Hotel prices in key match cities are likely to rise 20–30 percent, especially around India fixtures and knockout matches, Hotelogix CEO and co-founder Aditya Sanghi.

Hotel rates in Ahmedabad range between Rs 12,000 and Rs 27,000 a night for check-in on February 16, according to MakeMyTrip. At Hyatt Regency, a room for February 17 costs Rs 12,000–Rs 13,000, compared to Rs 6,900–Rs 7,900 for a March 2 check-in, 64 percent lower.

Mumbai and Ahmedabad are showing particularly strong momentum, driven by India fixtures, Monisha Dewan of Marriott International, said. “Several hotels are nearing sold-out status on India match days."

With T20 Cricket World Cup matches taking place in the Delhi NCR region, there is heightened hospitality demand as travel, social gatherings, and match-day outings converge, noted Sonica Malhotra Kandhari, Joint Managing Director, MBD Group. "Large sporting events create a ripple effect across the local hospitality ecosystem, and at Radisson Blu MBD Hotel Noida, bookings around key match dates have strengthened as guests plan their stays and social evenings around the tournament."

Royal Orchid Hotels’ Arjun Baljee said demand is strong around match weekends, with shorter booking windows and increased leisure and group travel.

An ITC Hotels spokesperson said demand has been especially high for India and Super 8 matches, with the India–Pakistan clash expected to result in sold-out inventory for multiple days.

Industry executives say the tournament has effectively created a mini domestic tourism cycle and the travel momentum is expected to continue through the knockout stages.

"We are observing that many guests are treating match schedules as occasions to come together, turning a few hours of cricket into a fuller hospitality experience," Malhotra said.