With the football World Cup starting from November 20, 2022, Bengalis are a restless lot. Thanks to cheaper tickets, a huge number of football lovers from Kolkata have packed their bags and are set for Qatar. Some have even planned a short holiday and will be touring the neighbouring countries. The tournament will end on December 18.
Week-long hiatus
My Kolkata spoke to quite a few tourists who are planning a 7 to 10-day trip. Avishek Roy, a Kolkata-based businessman, is reaching Qatar on November 19 and will be touching base in Kolkata on November 28. “I am watching seven matches starting November 20. Netherlands-Senegal, Argentina-Saudi Arabia are some of them,” said the diehard Brazil fan.
A group of Bengali musicians like Upal Sengupta, Prabuddha Bannerjee, Anindya Chatterjee and Joy Sarkar are also travelling to Qatar. “First, we would go to Jordan and then reach Qatar on November 29. We are watching two matches on November 30 and will be returning on December 1,” Sengupta added.
Booking match tickets early
Since most tourists booked match tickets from the FIFA website months before, they had to choose group match tickets randomly. “The groups were not announced when we bought tickets. So, despite being an Argentinian fan, I will not be able to watch any (Argentina) match as per my tickets,” said a crest-fallen Koushik Sarkar, an IT employee from Kolkata. He will be reaching Qatar on November 25. Same is the case with Upal. He will not be able to watch any Brazil match despite being a hardcore fan.
Sightseeing & travelling to neighbouring countries
Musicians Upal, Anindya and other members of Chandrabindu had visited Qatar before for concerts. This time, the World Cup will be an icing on the cake for them. They will be travelling extensively. City-based couple Moushumi and Judhajit Mukherjee are travelling to Kenya after watching three matches. “We were planning a trip to Kenya for the past two years. With the World Cup being played in Qatar, we decided to visit the venue (Qatar) for three days and then head for our dream vacation.”
A cheaper option
As tickets for the matches are still available on the website, tourists are planning their trips even as tour operators aren’t in a position to give the exact count of travelers from Kolkata. “Compared to European countries, people had to shell out less for flight tickets. Also, Qatar which is very close to Dubai, is not as expensive as Dubai,” said Rahul Ahuja, a senior manager of a travel agency in Kolkata.