Kiran

The Beijing Olympics 2008 have not gathered steam among globetrotters of the cricket-frenzy country. Besides the lack of enthusiasm, unavailability of event tickets and delays in visas have led to bleak numbers for tour operators.

Says chairman of Stic Travel Group, Richa Goyal Sikri, “Though we have got some bookings, the numbers are not as good as we expected. For an event like this, one would expect the Chinese embassy to smoothen and fasten the process, but just the opposite has happened with the process becoming stricter.” Adds Cox & Kings, VP-FIT, Ashutosh Mehere, “There may be interest among Indians to watch the opening ceremony but for other sports, there are not many takers. Obviously, the scene would have been different if it was a cricket event.”

Corporate travellers, who often make a beeline for popular sports events, are also giving a miss to Beijing Olympics. The slowdown in corporate travel, thanks to inflation and high ATF prices, have marred the demand for the travel packages. Says Rahul Nath, CEO, FCm, a corporate travel company: “We haven’t sold a single package. Surprisingly, we haven’t even got any query. Corporates have cut their travel expenditure by 20% and incentive travel is the first to be impacted.” He also points out that his global counterparts are having a similar experience.

Although China is not a very expensive destination for Indian travellers, during Olympics, hotels will hike their room rates by at least 25%. On an average, a hotel package for six days costs about Rs 55,000 (on double occupancy basis). A return air ticket to the country costs around Rs 50,000. Some airlines such as Ethiopian Airlines, which have a direct Delhi-Beijing flight, have floated a special rate of Rs 18,000 for the month of August.

Tour operators are not quite happy with the lukewarm response that the event has got from travellers. The West Indies World Cup was not exactly a hit as there was no direct flight to the host country and the package turned out to be expensive. The last sports event that tour agencies cashed in on was the South Africa Cricket World Cup. Sports tourism has lost its sheen among travellers it seems, though the upcoming F1 race in Singapore (to be held in September) might create some interest.