Global Destinations in Play Offs for Indian Sports Tourists

With global sports tournaments resuming, and spotting huge opportunity for outbound sports tourism from India, destinations around the world compete to attract Indian sports fans.

- Varsha Singh & Ranvir Nayar

There is perhaps no greater sports rivalry in the world bigger T than the one seen when Indian and Pakistani cricket teams face each other. Due to political tensions between the two neighbours, these contests have become rare, but whenever they occur, they not only provide a wholesome entertainment, but also keep the viewers glued to the edge of their seats throughout the matches.

Little wonder then, that any IndiaPakistan match is a sold-out show as soon as ticket sales begin. So hungry are the fans, belonging to not only the two countries, but in general any cricket fan.

Thus, the fans were in for a special treat at the ongoing Asia Cup 2022, a regional championship of T20 cricket teams since India and Pakistan faced off not once, but twice during the tournament. Coming as it did after a long break, imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the matches were a huge draw not only in the stadiums in the United Arab Emirates, the host nation of Asia Cup 2022, but they also drew record crowds to the online streaming platforms.

According to initial statistics, over 176 million viewers tuned in to watch the first six games of the ongoing DP World Asia Cup 2022. Of this, a huge chunk belonged to a single match as the first high-power encounter between India and Pakistan on August 28, recorded a cumulative reach of 133 million and registered 13.6 billion minutes, registering a growth of almost 30pc compared to the Ind-Pak encounter in Asia Cup 2016.

Besides the hundreds of millions of online viewers, the matches also drew record crowds as the stadiums were packed to the capacity on both the occasions. Indeed, for the hosts, UAE, mainly Dubai and Sharjah, Asia Cup was yet another demonstration of sports, notably cricket, as a huge magnet to draw Indian tourists.