Who said Indians were only crazy about the game of cricket? Nearly 10-12k people travelled to Qatar from eastern India, out of which almost 9k were from Kolkata itself, according to Anil Punjabi, eastern region head of the Travel Agents Federation of India, who revealed the data in conversation with PTI.
"Around 10,000-12,000 football fans have travelled to Qatar from eastern India so far, including close to 9,000 people from Kolkata. People are still very keen to make it to the semis and the final, and we expect at least another 1,500 Kolkatans to visit the Arab country," said Punjabi.
People are still making queries regarding ticket and accommodation availability and travel packages for Qatar, days ahead of the semi-finals and the final next week, they said.
The Craze For Messi
Though the craze for the business end of the world cup has died down to an extent following the exit of giants such as Brazil and Portugal, Argentina's advance to the semi-finals is reason enough for many of Kolkata's football enthusiasts to pack their bags for Qatar.
"It's all about Messi this time as it will be his last world cup. I had made up my mind months ago that if Argentina progresses to the semis, I will head to Qatar. Who knows, I might actually see Messi lifting the coveted trophy, which would be an unreal experience," Subham Mitra, a resident of Lake Gardens, said.
Mitra said he will depart for Doha (Qatar's capital) in the early hours of Monday. The average return fare to Doha costs around Rs 55,000-60,000 at present.
"Kolkata's football frenzy for this edition of the world cup has been unprecedented because of two main factors -- direct flights to Qatar, and the urge to travel more post the COVID-19 pandemic, especially during major global events," Punjabi said.
The senior TAFI official also said Qatar will turn into a popular travel destination for people of east India, courtesy of the world cup.
"Qatar wasn't among the sought-after tourist spots before the mega event, but the sporting spectacle has added great value to the place and we expect that more and more people will add it to their must-visit list," Punjabi added.
As far as Messi is concerned, the legendary footballer will be in action against Croatia on Wednesday in the first semifinal of the World Cup.
(Inputs PTI)
