The second quarter final of the 2011 Cricket World Cup finals is underway, seeing Australia and India pair off in Ahmedabad, India. The tournament has seen thousands of travelers make their way to the region to see matches in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. In addition, cricket updates and scores from the match are being followed around the world.

While the Commonwealth Games of last year met wide criticism for its handling and failure to adequately prepare for the event, the ICC Cricket World Cup has so far operating without major problems. It is hoped that the even will increase tourism revenue in the area, especially for co-hosting nation Bangladesh – the first time it has ever hosted a World Cup event.

Prior to the opening ceremony on 17 February, many global travel operators noted a soaring rise in inquiries on Indian travel. Those wanting to follow the tournament from India to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka before returning back to Mumbai for the final were, however, frustrated to learn that ordinary tourist visas prohibited re-entry to India from the other host nations without a two-month break in between.

Sri Lanka saw a rise of 14.8% in tourist numbers in February ahead of the tournament compared to the same month in 2010. The Sri Lankan government has predicted foreign arrivals to reach a new record for 2011.

Thousands of tourist visas were also granted to Pakistani cricket fans, who were stripped of their hosting rights following the devastating floods on last year.

Reported by Zeke Lyons.

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