Australia and Britain have made a beeline for the Commonwealth Games ticket counters as have African countries.
Australia and England are the two countries which have bought the most number of tickets. The sales of tickets has exceeded our forecast and we are confident that Games will have a full house' said a senior official of the Games organising committee.
Earlier, some stakeholders had predicted that the response from foreign visitors may be muted due to security concerns. However, there are no indications to show that tourists are holding back their plans to Delhi.
African nations have not disappointed either as there has been a 'great response' from countries like Tanzania, Namibia and Zambia. 'We are very satisfied,' the official added.
There are 71 countries participating in the Games scheduled Oct 3-14, of which 26 have an option to buy tickets from local sales agents. People in the remaining countries canbuy tickets online. Ticket sales in international markets began in November last year.
On the other hand, tickets in India are being sold at various retail shops, ticketing call centre and also through the Commonwealth Games ticketing website.
Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) http://www.irctc.co.in has been appointed as the official ticketing agency for the Games, while Broadway and Ticket Pro will manage the call centre and provide technical services.
To a question that tickets could be black marketed and counterfeit may emerge, the organizing committee official said: 'We are working with Delhi Police to prevent any such occurrence. Also, visitors are encouraged to book tickets online. On our part, we have got the tickets printed on special paper at the Currency Note Press, Nasik, where Indian currency notes are printed.'
As of now, spectators buying tickets are provided with a confirmation voucher, which will be exchanged for actual tickets beginning Aug 1, when people can start getting actual tickets against every purchase.
From Oct 2, tickets can be bought at the Games venues too.
To avoid duplicate tickets, the paper has a bar code, an invisible logo of theCommonwealth Games, a security thread and other features which will make them impossible to replicate.
While ticket prices for sporting events range from Rs.50 to Rs.1,000, those for the opening ceremony have been pegged from Rs.1,000 to Rs.50,000. The ticket prices for the closing ceremony is fixed between Rs.750 and Rs.50,000.
The official said each ticket holder can travel free of charge by Delhi Metro and government-run Delhi Transport Corporation buses to reach and return from the venue on the day of the event.
Also, the Games ticket will have a map indicating approach roads, starting time and security procedures.