By IANS,
Chandigarh : There were no inquiries for hotel bookings from foreign cricket fans for the second test match at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium, Mohali, a hotelier said Sunday.
“Till now, we have not received any query from foreign guests who are coming here to see the match.
“Usually we have bookings from foreign guests at least a month before the match but this time the state of affairs seem very disappointing,” Manmohan Singh Kohli, president of Chandigarh Hotel and Restaurant Association, told IANS.
“This is obvious as security is the foremost concern for every individual on this earth and other leisurely activities come later.
“If the English team was so reluctant to come here to play the match in the beginning then how can one expect others from their country to come here to see the match,” said Kohli who owns Aroma hotel, one of the oldest hotels in the city.
The second match is slated to start Dec 19 at PCA stadium in Mohali district in Punjab, about 10 km from here. Both the teams will reach Chandigarh Dec 16 and stay at hotel Taj.
“During the last test match between India and Australia at PCA, 12 Aussie fans stayed in our hotel. During the matches at PCA we have good business but this time we have received not even a single inquiry,” said Manmeet Chahal, assistant manager of a leading hotel at Sector 35 here.
He said: “It seems that this time apart from English media no other foreign guest is coming here to see the match.”
Even the PCA officials here are also expecting a low turn out of foreign fans during the forthcoming India-England test match.
“Normally, we have a good number of foreign fans coming to PCA but due to the suspension of one-day series in between, many cricket fans who had come from England went back.
“Although the situation will become clear in the next two-three days, we are expecting only few foreign spectators here,” said G.S. Walia, joint secretary of PCA.