India and Pakistan fans flock to Colombo, windfall for tourism

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Prices of flights and hotel bookings to Colombo, Sri Lanka, have soared as thousands of fans flock to the city to watch India play Pakistan on Sunday in cricket’s Twenty20 World Cup.

The neighbouring countries and cricket rivals are due to meet during the group stage of the tournament, which is being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, after Pakistan reversed a decision to boycott the match earlier in the week.

The game at Sri Lanka’s largest stadium is sold out with roughly 35,000 tickets sold, and ahead of the match, most hotels in Colombo have doubled their prices — the cost of a room has climbed as high as $660 a night from a typical price tag of about $100-$150 per night, multiple booking sites showed.

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