SRI LANKA is planning to make up for this year’s low season shortfall by drawing foreign fans to watch live matches at a major international cricket tournament taking place in the country from September 18-October 7.
“The International Cricket Council (ICC) World Twenty20 tournament is our biggest event for the year,” said Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) managing director, Rumy Jaufer.
“It is happening at a good time because September is our off season. We are expecting at least 10,000-15,000 fans from abroad, mostly from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.”
Sri Lanka’s peak season is usually between November-April.
According to Jaufer, around 8,000 hotel rooms have been booked so far for the biennial tournament, which will see matches played in Colombo and other cities across the country. Another 8,000 rooms are expected to be snapped up before the event begins.
Chandra Mohotti, senior vice president of the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo, said one of the challenges was providing enough rooms for the influx of cricket fans.
“There is no seasonal (shortfall) as far as city hotels are concerned. Colombo hotels are experiencing great occupancies with corporate travellers, investors and Sri Lankan expatriates,” he said, adding that the ongoing refurbishment of the 250-room Ceylon Continental Hotel meant 10 per cent of the capital’s inventory would be unavailable.
Meanwhile, Jaufer said cable news broadcaster ESPN would feature various cultural sites, wildlife parks and beaches during live coverage of the matches, while SLTPB would organise fam trips for some 300 foreign journalists during the tournament. “This is a great promotional event for cricket-crazy Sri Lanka,” he said.
Helanka Vacations Colombo has also jumped on the bandwagon to put together special packages for cricket fans, replicating the three- to five-day tours it organised during last year’s ICC Cricket World Cup jointly hosted by Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh.
