BARBADIANS are lining up in large numbers to get tickets for Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007.
With one month left in Phase 1 of the ticket application process for the big event, applications have come from more than 114 countries and the third highest have come from Barbados.
Interest is also high among other Caribbean countries with Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Guyana also among the Top 10, which is headed by Britain and the United States.
The early West Indian interest might come as a surprise against the background that Barbadians and other Caribbean people have been traditionally last-minute ticket hunters for international matches in the region.
"I'm always heartened when we in the Caribbean do things quickly," CWC managing director Chris Dehring said yesterday.
"It's not a Barbadian phenomenon; it's a West Indian thing. We're very pleased so many Barbadians and Caribbean people are pre-purchasing. It is a very, very good sign."
The first phase of the application process opened on May 1 and will run until July 31. Fans across the world can apply online at www.cricket worldcup.com or can walk into any of the nine ticketing centres across the region.
By August 31, applicants will be advised in writing which tickets or packages they have been allocated.
"We have to keep on encouraging people to come out and buy their tickets early. You don't want to get left behind," Dehring said.
"The structure we've set up is now better understood. People now genuinely feel they have a chance. People questioned why we had this application phase, why could you not just go in and buy.
"We wanted this thing to be open to as many people as possible for a period."
With one month remaining in the first phase of applications, CWC marketing manager Stephen Price expects more interest worldwide.
"There continues to be a steady flow of applications, but as we come to the home stretch of the application phase, we expect to see another surge, reminiscent of that which occurred at the start of public ticketing in online traffic and ticket centres all across the Caribbean," he said.