The world is your playground

Sports tourismThe growing popularity of sports in India is resulting in a relatively new kind of tourism mdash sports tourism mdash where people donrsquot abstain from spending big money to watch their favourite sporting stars liveBrazil which that has won five football World Cups till now readies itself to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup from June 12 onwards PicGetty Images ldquoIndians have been exposed to a variety of sports on sports channels Hence the lure of seeing the matches live is on a high Additionally there has been a surge in disposable income which has also lead to this growthrdquo maintains Karan Anand HeadRelationships Cox amp Kings LtdNot just cricket Indian are travelling abroad to witness other sporting events too PicGetty ImagesWhorsquos inDecoding the age bracket and the segment of individuals that is giving a boost to sports tourism Anand adds that sports vacations are gaining popularity especially amongst sports enthusiasts High Networth Individuals HNIs corporate clients young executives and DINKS Double Income No Kids The age group ranges from 26 to 46 on an averageMany Indians plan their travel to the UK to watch Wimbledon PicAFPShibani Phadkar Senior Vice President Products amp Operations Leisure Travel Outbound Thomas Cook India Ltd reveals that sports tourism leads to a good amount of money exchange since tourists tend to stay for a little longer in the country visited ldquoThe profile of tourists keen on indulging in sportsbased travel itineraries are generally highspenders they tend to stay longer compared to other traveller segmentsrdquo She adds that with a number of mega sport events like the Olympic Games the FIFA World Cup or the Cricket World Cup gaining colossal popularity across the globe sports tourism is expected to contribute to a significant growth in the international tourism market in the coming yearsThe Scotstoun Stadium will be the venue for athletics during the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games PicGetty ImagesAs far as gender disparity in this growing trend is concerned Sharat Dhall President Yatracom puts things into perspective ldquoInterestingly the segment varies with the kind of sport in question We have typically seen during IPL season a blend of families travelling together to witness the matches While in the case of FIFA 2014 we have seen more number of groups of men approaching us for bookingsrdquo Though women travellers arenrsquot far behind Phadkar optimistically quotes that they are witnessing an increasing interest by women travellers as wellIndia enters the playing field tooIndia is emerging as a popular destination as well ldquoThe Elephant and Horse Polo tournaments organised by Jaipur Riding amp Polo Club JRPC and the Ladakh Marathon that offers a chance to run with local Ladakhis through a high mountain desert region are looked forward to This apart the Surfing Federation of India organises surf events in Tamil Nadu and Kerala where international tourists participaterdquo says Moomal Singh cofounder Some Place Else a travel company She adds that Keralarsquos snake boat races held in its backwaters in the monsoon sees an international tourists presence tooLog on to wwwfacebookcomSomePlaceElseIndiaWhere to headgtgt FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil June 12 onwardsgtgtIndian cricket teamrsquos tour to England June 23 onwardsgtgtWimbledon in London June 23 onwardsgtgtTour de France in France July 5 onwardsgtgtBritish Golf Open in Merseyside July 17 onwardsgtgtCommonwealth Games in Scotland July 23 onwardsgtgtAsian Games in South Korea September 23 onwardsgtgtF1 Grand Prix in Singapore SeptembergtgtICC Cricket World Cup February 2015 onwards