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The roving Indian: Rise of luxury sports tourism

The Paris Olympics and the T20 World Cup are not enough for India’s luxury sports tourists who seek unique experiences alongside the sporting events.


The upcoming events include the ICC Men's Cricket T20 World Cup taking place in the US and West Indies from June 1st to June 29th, the Olympics in Paris scheduled from July 26th to August 11th, the UEFA event in Germany running from June 14th to July 14th, and Wimbledon in the UK occurring from July 1st to July 14th.


Skydiving in Dubai is passé, so is watching the sun go down at St Tropez. The new Indian is increasingly turning to the international sports circuit for that elusive high in global adventure and travel. Well, it’s not about watching a football match in Brazil or catching up with the F1 machines in Monaco.


It’s all about upping the game beyond your wildest imagination. Sample this: a luxury vintage train ride aboard the Belmond British Pullman after a Wimbledon match; staying in a hobbit house in Normandy or sailing in the Unesco World Heritage Mont-Saint-Michel Bay during the French Open; or experiencing the adrenalin rush of Switzerland’s heli-skiing while travelling to witness an ATP match. Or, how about lounging with sports icons such as Michael Clarke and Brett Lee on a private yacht, getting personalised coaching sessions from legends like Sourav Ganguly, or having exclusive access to Manchester United players?


Luxury sports tourism is a nascent industry that’ s growing at 200%, say the leading players. Sports tourism now constitutes almost 12% of all outbound travel made by Indians.


UP, CLOSE

With the Paris Olympics just three months away, and both the ICC T20 Men’s World Cup (US and West Indies) and UEFA Euro Cup (Germany) slated to take place in June, 2024 would be the year the Indian luxury sports tourist will come of age. And as with all things Indian, it is becoming a family affair. Mumbaibased Usha Agrawal (60) and her son Nishit (30) who is based in the US, are flying to the West Indies, where they will watch India in the round of eight. While the sports management company concerned is helping the mother plan a tour with her son, “it’s bonding time for both of us over sports”, she says.



For the Paris Olympics, an eight member family, including grandparents and two grandchildren, will be attending the opening ceremony and seven days of events. With the whole trip centred on sports, and watching at least two-three sessions daily, “we are ensuring that we bond over sports because we all love sports and want to cheer for India,” says a senior member of the family, who didn’t want to be named. Among those who will be attending the Olympics is Delhi-based Satish Kaul. Kaul, who is celebrating his 5 0 t h wedding anniversary, says: “I wanted to do something special for my wife Reena. So, I am taking her for the opening ceremony, because Paris is the city of love.”


CRICKET FROM GANGULY, JAVELIN FROM CHOPRA

A pre-match event in Manhattan for the much-touted India-Pakistan T20 match in New York in June will see at least 300 sports tourists meet cricket legends Sourav Ganguly and Wasim Akram. A panel discussion with the legends, welcome gifts such as signed bats, a session for autographed merchandise and a personalised welcome at the stadium are among the attractions on offer. In partnership with India’s javelin ace Neeraj Chopra, leading sports management company DreamSetGo has lined up an exclusive meet-and-greet opportunity for sports enthusiasts, during the Olympic Games in Paris.


Elegant dining and uber-rich hospitality are a given. Sports tourists are increasingly looking at personalisation, premium bespoke packages and unique experiences as they watch the games live and explore the destination. In 2023, DreamSetGo organised a board meeting centred on sports travel for a leading Mumbai-based company, which travelled for the Super Bowl in 2023. Before the matches, the company also got the group tickets to watch a U2 show at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

 


Jeet and Malvika Banerjee are heading to Paris for the Olympics. While the sports lovers have watchedfootball and cricket World Cups and even Wimbledon, they have never seen the Olympics. This year it offers the opportunity to tour Paris, too.


“The trip dates have been planned around the days India’s athletes , hockey team or Neeraj Chopra will b e playing,” says Jeet CEO of Gameplan Sport. It costs the Banerjees Rs 10-12 lakh, excluding airfare and hotel accommodation. For the T20 World Cup, 100 diehard supporters of the Men in Blue are travelling for the India-Pakistan game. “They are part of the entire meet-and greet programme with Ganguly. For them too, it’s a great time support the country while networking with each other,” says Monish Shah, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, DreamSetGo.


To increase sports accessibility of Indians, sports management companies work with several international sports rights holders to provide fans with world-class experiences.

 


Countries hosting the events are stepping up efforts. France is leaving no stone unturned to showcase its hospitality, innovation and creativity in hosting the Olympic Games this year. “The main commitments include twice as many vegetables in meals (for less CO2) which is great news for Indian visitors! Visitors will also have a chance to explore the city,” says Sheetal Munshaw, director, Atout France India, the French tourism development agency. An appetite for experiencing live sporting events is evident from India’s presence at some of the global events. For the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022, Indians emerged as the single largest ticket buyers outside the host continent. Nearly 60,000 Indians attended the FIFA World Cup in 2022, second only to Saudi Arabia, the host nation.


UPTICK IN SPORTS TOURISTS

“We see travellers increasingly prioritising experiences over material ownership. This is reflected in the growth of luxury sports travel experiences,” says Raghav Gupta, MD of Fanatic Sports, a sports ticketing, hospitality and experiential travel company. The typical age of a sports traveller is 30-50 years, and this demographic prefers personalisation of travel with a focus on experiential travel, says Gupta. Daimani India, a subsidiary of Fanatic Sports, is an official licensed partner for stickers and collectibles of UEFA Euro 2024.


Thomas Cook is also witnessing a 25-30% uptick for key global sporting events this year. “The T20 World Cup in the US and West Indies is witnessing a strong demand from both our leisure and corporate MICE segments. Similarly, we are seeing high interest for Wimbledon, Olympics in Paris and Formula 1 races in Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Bahrain,” says Rajeev Kale, president and country head, holidays, MICE, visa , Thomas Cook (India).


After the pandemic, sports tourism has emerged as the first sector within tourism to recover. Sports travellers now constitute 10-12% of the entire outbound travel market, from 5-7% five years ago. Based on the current consumer sentiment, “we anticipate a 200% growth in the premium sports travel segment in 2024, led by mega sporting events such as the T20 World Cup and the Paris Olympics,” says Shah of DreamSetGo.


With an above-average recovery post-pandemic, India generates the highest outbound travel volume in Asia, with foreign trips exceeding those of China, South Korea and Japan. Furthermore, millennials, who form nearly a third of India’s population, are at their peak buying years. This cohort has experienced a generational shift in mindset in a relatively short period from 2020. As per Redseer Strategy Consultants’ report, travel, financial services, recreation and insurance experienced the maximum acceleration in the “prosperity-driven categories”. Leisure and sports travel are integral to this mix.


SPIKE IN CORPORATE INTEREST

Historically, demand for sports tourism has come from head honchos of India Inc and high net worth individuals in the age group of 30-45 years. That seems to be changing, according to Thomas Cook’s Kale. There is strong demand from younger people who are keen to tick off their bucket lists, with bragging rights on social media propelling demand, says Kale.


“We have managed several small to mid-sized MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions ) programmes around both cricket and FIFA with exceptional experiences both on and off-stadium. These are premium programmes with corporates willing to invest to keep their top performers engaged,” says Kale, who recently took a corporate MICE group of over 120 guests for F1 at Italy’s prestigious Monza circuit.


People like Kale, DreamSetGo’s Shah and Fanatic Sports’ Gupta are now looking for the next holy grail: once-in-a-lifetime experience. The industry has noticed a very palpable trend of corporates looking to reward high performers with unique incentive travel experiences, such as MICE with a sports element. There is also an increasing trend of companies combining board meetings with sports experiences.


Meanwhile, a mother-daughter duo, after watching tennis at Roland Garros, will have a private dinner at the residence of the iconic fashion designer Coco Chanel. And a father and his teenage son are getting ready for a fireside chat with football legends like Michael Owen and Gary Linekar after UEFA matches. UHNIs are willing to pay over $10,000 for a VIP experience at Wimbledon and get seats next to the royal box on a big match day, says Gupta of Fanatic.


https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/services/travel/the-roving-indian-the-rise-of-luxury-sports-tourism/articleshow/109276013.cms


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