Sports tourism, a great magnet

The grand prize for the VisitBritain Cricket Carnival Season-1 is tickets to see India play against England at Old Trafford cricket ground in Manchester. Some top travel professionals in the country, who watched the India versus Pakistan World Cup 2019 match live at the venue, share their experience while also praising the contest.

Deepak Rawat, Senior VP, International, Markets, MakeMyTrip

It was one of the most exciting matches. What made it even more exciting was that India came out to be the winner. Even exploring the beautiful surrounding region starting from Manchester to the entire Lake District area and Windermere, is a memory to cherish. The VisitBritain Cricket Carnival is the best thing that could have been done for a cricket-crazy nation and to get more people engaged in a cricket event. It’s happening virtually, which would be very exciting.

Vishal Suri, Managing Director, SOTC Travel

The atmosphere both inside and outside the stadium was electrifying. VisitBritain is a great host and we were in the VIP enclosure. We had a few M!CE groups there for the match as well, and I even took time out to meet some of our key customers. Coincidentally, when we went out post-match to a hotel, we saw the Indian team celebrating as they were staying there. I think the VisitBritain Cricket Carnival is a great way to mobilise and engage trade partners.

Sunil VA, Regional VP, ISC and APAC, Oman Air

It was a privilege to partner with VisitBritain to take our top trade partners to Manchester. Most of the people in the group were cricket enthusiasts, and the best part was that our hotel was very close to the stadium and we could watch the festivities outside. Inside, it was a full house and the atmosphere was electric. I think it is the perfect time to have the VisitBritain Cricket Carnival, and it’s a great start since there are many cricket enthusiasts in the trade who have gone through a lot.

Ankush Nijhawan, Managing Director, Nijhawan Group

I had a great experience when in 2019 I got to witness India play Pakistan at Old Trafford. I think the weather was ideal for watching cricket and the crowd was amazing. I witnessed it with my family and friends. I think it’s a must for everybody to watch cricket in the UK. The VisitBritain Cricket Carnival is definitely going to be exciting, especially because people can play it on an App, and technology is something everybody is used to today.

Sanjay Arya, Chief Executive Officer, KFT Holidays

I started watching cricket in England in 1983. The last match I saw there was the India-Pakistan one in Manchester in the 2019 World Cup, courtesy VisitBritain. It was an out-of-the-world experience and it was electrifying. I also participated and made my team in the VisitBritain Cricket Carnival contest and played the last game. It was interesting to see what was happening, although I didn’t win. I hope a lot more people from the trade be a part of it.

Inputs by Nisha Verma

 

 

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