Bring It! West Indies prepares for ICC World Twenty20 party
With less than eight weeks to go before the West Indian party begins at the ICC World Twenty20 2010, supporters keen to sample the unique atmosphere of world-class cricket in the Caribbean can still avail of the best packages through official tour operators.
Tickets have been on sale since last October and there has been a good take-up both by fans in the West Indies and from further afield as the excitement builds ahead of this hugely popular global event.
In addition, the official tournament song has just been released and is already becoming a firm favourite on the radio stations and in dancehalls of the Caribbean. Dancehall maestro Mr Vegas and soca queen Fay Ann Lyons have joined forces for this contagious, upbeat and proudly West Indian song, which is available at www.iccevents.yahoo.com.
This year's event has an emphasis on affordability with the matches accessible to all. Ticket prices cost from just US$3 for ground entry to single group stage matches to US$5 for double-headers, US$8 for entry to Super Eight matches while tickets for the semi-finals in St Lucia range from US$10-20 and general admission to the men's and women's finals in Barbados on 16 May costing US$20 with a premium stand ticket for that double-header available for US$40.
Under-16s will gain entry free of charge for all group stage matches while enjoying significant discounts at all other fixtures while admission to the women's group matches in St Kitts is free to all.
"We want this event to be a celebration of nation-versus-nation cricket with all the atmosphere, fun and excitement traditionally associated with the game in the West Indies. So, we are calling on the people of the Caribbean to 'Bring It'," said ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat.
"We invite you to bring your biggest voices. We invite you to bring your loudest noisemakers. We invite you to bring your most outrageous costumes and facepaint. The world will be playing. The world will be watching. It's time for Twenty20 international cricket, West Indies style," said Mr Lorgat.
Meanwhile, supporters from overseas have a range of official tour operators to choose from including Gullivers Sports Travel, Howzat Travel, ITC Sports, The Cricket Tour Company and Sporting Getaways (all UK); Cutting Edge, Pyramid Travels, Tui India, SOTC Sports, Kuoni Travel and Cox & Kings (all India); AST Sports, Cricket Australia, Sportsnet Holidays (all Australia; PKT Tours (USA); MMI Travel (United Arab Emirates); and Sadlier Travel (Ireland).
These agents have signed up as official tour operators with Cricket Logistics, which was previously named as the official travel and tour service provider for the tournament in the West Indies.
Cricket Logistics has extensive experience of arranging tours for all budgets and requirements across a range of major sporting events but with an emphasis on cricket, having operated a similar function at ICC Cricket World Cups and ICC Champions Trophy tournaments, and also top rugby events such as IRB Rugby World Cups, Lions tours and the Six Nations.
If the general public would like to organise travel packages to the ICC Twenty20 2010 in the West Indies then they can find all the information they need at www.cricketlogistics.com .
Any parties interested in becoming an official tour operator are asked to contact Shirley Rattray of Cricket Logistics by email on shirley@cricketlogistics.com for an information pack.