Hotel room tariffs in Ahmedabad have jumped ahead of the India-New Zealand T20 World Cup final, with rates rising by as much as 300 to 400 per cent, an industry representative said on Sunday. The high-profile match is scheduled to be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in the city on Sunday. Narendra Somani, hotelier and president of the Hotels and Restaurants Association of Gujarat, said room tariffs that were earlier around Rs 15,000 have jumped as cricket fans from across India and abroad arrive in the city for the match.
“There is a 300 per cent to 400 per cent increase in the room tariffs due to the high demand in view of the T20 WC final. Rooms which were available for Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000 now have rates between Rs 15,000 and Rs 50,000,” he said.
Online listings also show a sharp spike in tariffs at several prominent hotels in the city ahead of the final.
A ‘Deluxe Room’ for two at Taj Skyline on Sindhu Bhavan Road has already gone up to Rs 2.01 lakh, plus Rs 36,000 GST, for Sunday night, as per a leading travel portal. On normal days, the room rent typically ranges between Rs 9,000 and Rs 15,000, marking a nearly 20-fold increase.
Similarly, room tariffs at Welcomhotel by ITC Hotels on Ashram Road are currently showing around Rs 20,950 on the portal, significantly higher than its usual range of Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000.
At Hyatt Regency Ahmedabad, rooms are priced around Rs 30,000 for the match night, nearly four times the standard fare charged on other days.
Considering all categories of accommodation, Somani said, Ahmedabad has around 10,000 hotel rooms. He said occupancy levels are expected to be high due to the match, though not completely sold out.
“We expect that all the hotels in and around the city will see nearly 80 per cent occupancy on Sunday due to the match,” he said.
With hotel prices climbing sharply, many visitors are opting for alternative arrangements instead of staying overnight in the city.
Somani said some people choose to stay in Gandhinagar, located about 25 km from Ahmedabad. A significant number of fans are also travelling to the city only for the match and returning the same day, he said.
“What many people do, especially people from Bombay, is they leave in the morning by road. They arrive here by four or five o’clock and go straight to the match. They bring a driver and leave at night,” Somani said.
Visitors from other parts of Gujarat are following a similar pattern. “They do the same thing; they come in their car and leave in their car. Let’s say, from Rajkot or Porbandar,” Somani said.
Apart from domestic travellers, foreign visitors are also arriving in the city for the match, he added. PTI PJT PD NR
Airfares on major routes to Ahmedabad, which will host the T20 World Cup final between favourites India and New Zealand on Sunday, have skyrocketed, with cricket fans flocking to the city. The surge in travel demand has prompted the Indian Railways to introduce special trains to Ahmedabad, said officials on Saturday. “Flights from Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and other cities have seen significant spikes in the airfares,” said Chairman of the Gujarat Tourism Development Society (GTDS) Manish Sharma.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad airfares, which usually hover around Rs 3,000, have surged to Rs 15,000-Rs 17,000. Flights from New Delhi to Ahmedabad are currently priced at around Rs 14,000, while Bengaluru-Ahmedabad fares have also spiked to nearly Rs 13,000, Sharma said.
The jump in prices comes amid massive demand from cricket enthusiasts eager to witness the final, which is scheduled to be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
To manage the rush, Western Railways announced special trains from Mumbai to Ahmedabad. The Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) at Mumbai Central confirmed the arrangements.
“To clear the extra rush of passengers during the T20 Men’s World Cup Final, AC Superfast Special Trains on Demand (TOD) on Special Fare will run between Bandra Terminus-Ahmedabad,” the DRM wrote.
The railways has announced that Train No. 09029, an AC Superfast Special, will run one trip on March 8 (Sunday). The train will depart from Bandra Terminus at 00:05 hrs and arrive in Ahmedabad at 08:40 hrs, halting at Surat and Vadodara along the way, the DRM said.
Meanwhile, the Northern Railway has also announced a special train service (number 04062) to help fans travelling from the national capital.
“Due to an increase in flight ticket costs and unavailability of train tickets following a surge in the number of passengers willing to go to Ahmedabad, we have decided to operate a special train from New Delhi for the convenience of cricket lovers,” Himanshu Upadhyay, Chief Public Relations Officer, Northern Railway, said.
“The 19-coach special train with ACII and ACIII classes will commence from New Delhi tonight at 11.45 and reach Sabarmati tomorrow at 2.30 pm via Delhi Cantt, Gurugram and Jaipur,” he added.
Officials said that train number 04062 is available for booking on the IRCTC website and mobile application.
The additional services are expected to provide relief to thousands of fans planning last-minute travel to Ahmedabad for the much-anticipated cricket final, said officials