The International Cricket Council (ICC) has signed its third global sponsorship in a month, onboarding Marriott International by naming its Bonvoy loyalty programme its official accommodation partner for men’s events through 2029. Last month, ICC had signed up AB InBev’s Budweiser and car-maker Hyundai as global sponsors for two years. While Budweiser is sponsoring cricket for the first time, Hyundai returned as a partner after a previous association between 2011 and 2015 with ICC.
The deal, announced on Friday, spans all ICC men’s tournaments, including the T20 World Cup starting next February in India and Sri Lanka, the ODI World Cup next year in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, the 2028 T20 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, and the 2029 Champions Trophy in India.
Strengthening the Commercial Portfolio
While the deal size was not disclosed, the sponsorship announcements including the latest with Marriott comes amid the challenges within the cricket media-rights ecosystem. Last month, both ICC and JioStar denied speculation of an exit by the latter from their $3-billion media rights deal two years before its conclusion. The tenure of the deal is 2024 to 2027.
Both Budweiser and Hyundai sponsorships will conclude in 2027. As far as the Marriott sponsorship goes, it will give Bonvoy’s 260 million members the opportunity to embrace the excitement of the game across continents. As part of the agreement, Marriott Bonvoy will curate cricket-related content and host local events aimed at deepening engagement among its 260 million members. The members will also be able to enjoy Bonvoy services wherever ICC tournaments are happening.
“Cricket continues to grow as a global sport, with rising fan engagement worldwide and momentum,” said Peggy Roe, EVP and Chief Customer Officer, Marriott International.
“With more than 2 billion fans globally, we are proud to serve as the ICC’s Official Accommodation Partner and look forward to delivering exclusive access and once-in-a-lifetime experiences for our members who are passionate about cricket,” Roe said.
Tapping into Sports Tourism
Sports tourism in India, which is pegged at around Rs 9,500 crore in terms of size, remains small in the country. But, as experts say, it has the potential to grow at around 10-12% per annum over the next years to touch around Rs 15,000 crore by the end of the decade. Experts point to the rise in disposable incomes, the love for sports as well as the search for unique travel experiences for a spurt in sports tourism.