F1 may turbo-charge tourism

The tourism industry expects the inaugural Indian Formula One (F1) Grand Prix would bring the world to New Delhi this October. It hopes the event would be able to do what the Commonwealth Games, the last major sports event in India, could not in terms of attracting tourists.

But with just two months to go before the three-day event opens on October 28 in the Delhi satellite town of Noida, many complain it has not been promoted widely, neither by the organisers nor by the tourism ministry, as was the case with the Commonwealth Games.

“We are expecting predominant demand to come from within India since things got finalised late. The event has not been promoted well. But F1 will see the usual enthusiasts coming from the West Asia, UK and Europe,” said Arjun Sharma, managing director of Le Passage to India, a premier travel group headquartered in New Delhi.

“F1 is bound to generate a lot of international interest, but it depends on how it is marketed. Otherwise, our expectations may not be met,” said Vijay Thakur, president of the Indian Association of Tour Operators.

Some tour operators are yet to market their packages aggressively. “There is an apprehension that the event might get postponed, so we will devise our strategy when there is more clarity on the issue,” said Subhash Goyal, chairman of Stic Travel Group.

Tickets for the October 30 race at the 120,000-capacity Buddh International Circuit went on sale last Saturday, with prices ranging from Rs 2,500 to Rs 35,000. This is one of the reasons that the profile of travellers expected to come for the event is in the premium category.

“We believe the inaugural F1 in India will generate a lot of interest not only amongst Indian F1 enthusiasts but also tourists coming from overseas. We have got a lot of enquires from tourists who have booked their tickets on their own and wanting to visit places like Agra and Jaipur,” said Karan Anand, head — relationships, Cox and Kings.

With hotels in the NCR getting filled in advance, the cost of packages is also expected to go up. Hilton and Double Tree, Hilton Worldwide’s two hotels in the vicinity of the F1 venue, have almost full bookings for the F1 weekend. “We are witnessing a significant increase in demand through this period even at other hotels in New Delhi,” a company spokesperson said.

India received 486,000 foreign tourists in October 2010, six per cent more than a year ago. With the tourist season starting from October, the travel industry is hoping for further buzz around the Grand Prix so that tourist numbers go up significantly.