West Indies might consider floating hotels

The Caribbean islands might resort to floating hotels to cope with the influx of tourists during the 2007 Cricket World Cup. West Indies - winners of the first two editions in 1975 and 1979 - have never hosted cricket's showpiece event before, and there have been fears in some quarters that the infrastructure on the islands will be stretched beyond its limit.

But an Agence France Presse report quoted Teddy Griffith, the West Indies Cricket Board president, as saying that at least a few among the eight venues chosen might opt for wave-splashed accommodation options. He said, "There is the possibility, maybe the probability, of using some floating hotels."

Griffith was anxious to add, however, that the idea didn't necessarily mean that fans would have to shell out a small fortune for rooms aboard huge cruise liners.

The tournament is expected to do wonders for the economies of the region, with the hosts' share of the gross revenues expected to be around US$100million. The tournament will feature 16 teams, and 51 matches over almost two months.