The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has rejected accusations of profiteering on the sale of tickets in the U.K for the England Tour next year, while expressing disappointment with the public comments by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on the issue.
"New Century Marketing (NCM), a reputable travel and marketing company based in the UK, has acquired the rights as official distributor of tickets to tour operators, group travel specialists and other parties approved by the WICB in the UK and Europe for the England Tour of the Caribbean in 2004," said Roger Brathwaite, Chief Executive Officer of the WICB.
Refuting the suggestion that an unfair tax has been placed on UK fans, Brathwaite explained: "This arrangement is standard commercial practice for major events of this nature and it should be noted that these tickets will have the same face value as tickets purchased in the Caribbean."
The agreed levy allows for the costs of the rights fee, administration and overheads to be defrayed. Additionally, the WICB CEO noted that the WICB needs to provide temporary seating to accommodate the added influx of overseas fans.
"The appointment of NCM is part of the WICB's continuing effort to monitor the sale of tickets more effectively so as to ensure more equitable and efficient distribution among UK and Caribbean fans as well as other overseas visitors, particularly in Barbados and Antigua" he added.
Brathwaite observed that contrary to the impression being created in the media, the U.K sales being reported for the England Tour of the West Indies next year through NCM indicate that more than 75% of the UK allocation for Barbados and 65% for Antigua have already been sold.
"These early sales figures suggest that this tour will be as well supported as in past years" the WICB CEO said.
"We value the support of all cricket fans and we are hard at work with the territorial boards and our tourism partners in the region to welcome large numbers to the series next year," he added.