COLOMBO: Prices for flights and hotel rooms in Colombo have surged as thousands of fans descend on the city to watch India play Pakistan on Sunday at the cricket Twenty20 World Cup.
The neighbouring rivals are set to meet in the group stage of the tournament, which is being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, after Pakistan reversed an earlier decision this week to boycott the fixture.
The match at Sri Lanka’s largest stadium is sold out, with around 35,000 tickets snapped up. Ahead of the game, most hotels in Colombo have doubled their rates, with room prices rising to as much as $660 a night from typical levels of about $100–$150, according to multiple booking sites.
Following confirmation of the match, last-minute bookings filled flights from major cities such as Chennai and Delhi, three Colombo-based travel agencies said.Airfares from Chennai, about 90 minutes away by air, have more than tripled to roughly $623–$756, while fares from Delhi are up more than 50% to around $666.
Nalin Jayasundera, president of Sri Lanka Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO), said hotels were fully booked. “Most fans are coming on all-inclusive packages that could be $1,500–$2,000 or even higher, depending on ticket, hotel and flight prices,” he told Reuters.
Tourism is Sri Lanka’s third-largest foreign exchange earner, with the island known for its ancient temples, beaches and tea plantations. Authorities hope that hosting major sporting events will help support economic growth as the country recovers from a severe financial crisis and a recent cyclone that killed 650 people.
Buddhika Hewawasam, chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, told Reuters that in the first 10 days of February, about 20% of the 100,000 visitors to Sri Lanka travelled to watch the India-Pakistan match.
