TravTalk India Online Magazine
Keeping with the shared passion for cricket for both countries, the VisitBritain Cricket Carnival invites trade partners in India to form their ‘Dream Teams’ on the ‘Dream11’ App and participate in the tournament, as sports tourism continues to play an important role in driving future tourism into Britain.
Hazel Jain
What was the idea behind launching the fantasy cricket league campaign?
A top focus for VisitBritain is to continue to work closely with our trade partners in India and across consumer outreach.The shared passion for cricket between the two countries is a very strong connection. The on-going India-England bilateral series provides an opportune moment to celebrate this connection and drive engagement with our trade partners. The VisitBritain Cricket Carnival is a virtual Cricket League tournament, in partnership with TravTalk and Dream11 that will be hosted for a period of 6 weeks until the 28th of March 2021.It invites our trade partners in India to form their ‘Dream Teams’ on the mobile app ‘Dream11’ and participate in the tournament. It will also feature weekly contests themed on cricket and trivia around Britain as a holiday destination. These contests will be hosted on TravTalk’s India Facebook account with prizes to be won every week.
Which UK cities would you like Indians to connect with?
Britain has a mix of historic towns and cool cities to explore. Vikings, Romans, Tudors – they’ve all left their mark on Britain. And whether strolling the medieval Shambles in York or soaking up the Roman heritage of Bath, visitors will experience living history at every turn. Fans of more modern attractions can choose from the musical legacy of Liverpool to London’s vibrant culture and Glasgow’s urban allure. If they’re looking for cool culture, our cities will have them spoilt for choice.
How important is cricket tourism for VisitBritain?
The ICC Cricket World Cup, hosted by England and Wales in 2019, offered a great spectacle for the UK to promote Britain.With the on-going bilateral series, Indian Premier League that sees significant participation of international players from the UK, and the Indian men’s cricket team touring England this summer, this year proves to be a big opportunity to celebrate this passion. Sport tourism will continue to play a hugely important role in driving future tourism to Britain. In previous years, VisitBritain has encouraged overseas visitors to plan their visits around these events and experience their favourite sports while getting out and exploring the diversity of our visitor attractions and experiences. Our research has found that tourists who come for cricket in the UK are among the most beneficial to the economy because they traditionally stay for longer and have a propensity to travel around the country.
How was the response for the 2019 cricket World Cup?
India delivered the majority of viewership (5.68 billion; 85% of the total), epitomising the popularity of cricket in the market. Indian fans bought 41% of the tickets sold for the finals. Cricket provided us with a fantastic opportunity to not only promote the destinations where the matches were played but to also put the spotlight on associated destinations and tourism activities.
What confidence-building activities will you undertake?
The travel trade continues to be extremely important to us and we are supporting our travel industry partners to ensure they have access to VisitBritain’s recovery approach and campaign information as it develops.
