Recreation Market Report 2026

The recreation market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $1.72 trillion in 2025 to $1.8 trillion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to increasing leisure time availability, expansion of urban recreation facilities, rising disposable income levels, cultural emphasis on social engagement, growth of organized sports and arts programs.

The recreation market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $2.23 trillion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.5%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to growing adoption of immersive recreation technologies, rising investments in wellness-oriented recreation, expansion of community-centric recreation models, increasing personalization of recreational offerings, growing demand for inclusive recreational experiences. Major trends in the forecast period include growing demand for experiential recreation activities, expansion of digital and virtual recreation platforms, rising focus on wellness and stress-relief activities, increasing integration of social and community-based recreation, growth of hybrid physical-digital experiences.

The rising demand for experiential and adventure-based activities is expected to drive the growth of the recreation market. Experiential and adventure-based activities refer to forms of learning and engagement that involve hands-on experiences and challenges designed to foster personal growth and development. The growing demand for experiential and adventure-based activities is driven by an increasing preference for unique and memorable travel experiences, motivating individuals to pursue activities beyond conventional tourism offerings. The recreation market supports this growing demand by providing a broad range of services, facilities, and experiences tailored to travelers seeking adventure and active, hands-on participation. For example, in June 2024, according to the Outdoor Participation Trend report published by the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), a US-based non-profit organization, participation in outdoor recreation increased by 4.1 percent in 2023, reaching a record 175.8 million participants, representing 57.3 percent of the US population. Therefore, the increasing demand for experiential and adventure-based activities is contributing to the growth of the recreation market.

Key players and leading companies in the recreation market are focusing on the development of innovative solutions, such as on-demand online training platforms that provide self-paced, expert-led courses to upskill professionals and volunteers across critical operational and leadership domains, thereby improving workforce capabilities and expanding access to continuous learning resources. An on-demand online training platform is a digital learning environment that offers flexible, self-paced educational content accessible at any time, enabling users to develop skills and knowledge without fixed schedules or in-person limitations. For instance, in September 2025, Recreation Newfoundland and Labrador (Recreation NL) Inc., a Canada-based not-for-profit organization focused on promoting recreation, leadership, and community engagement across Newfoundland and Labrador, launched RecNL On-Demand Training, a new portfolio of expert-led online courses for recreation professionals, volunteers, and community leaders. The platform features a variety of self-paced modules covering areas such as webinars on sector-relevant trends, recreation leadership toolkits, master planning, facility management, equity and inclusion strategies, and event planning. It allows learners to access practical and impactful resources and build essential skills for inclusive and effective recreation programming from any location at any time. This initiative supports continuous professional development aligned with the evolving needs of the recreation workforce and enhances organizational capacity across community-serving entities throughout the province.

In May 2024, Clubessential Holdings LLC, a US-based provider of Software as a Service (SaaS) and embedded payment solutions for membership management, club operations, parks and recreation, and related sectors, acquired RecDesk LLC for an undisclosed amount. Through this acquisition, Clubessential Holdings aimed to broaden its recreation software portfolio and strengthen its presence in the parks and recreation management market by integrating RecDesk’s SaaS platform into its existing solutions. RecDesk LLC is a US-based provider of cloud-based recreation management software offering capabilities such as membership management, program administration, registration, billing and payment processing, facility scheduling, ticketing, and related system integrations.

Major companies operating in the recreation market are The Walt Disney Company, Cinemark Holdings Inc, Cineworld Group plc, Cineplex Inc, Compagnie des Alpes SA, Compagnie du Mont Blanc SA, Oriental Land Company Ltd, Herschend Family Entertainment Corp, Hall of Fame Resort And Entertainment Co, Guangdong Jinma Entertainment Corp Ltd, Gym Group plc, Grupo Sports World SAB de CV, City Sports And Recreation plc, Club de Futbol Intercity SAD, Creative China Holdings Ltd, Guangzhou Jinyi Media Corp A, Country Club Hospitality And Holidays Ltd, City Pulse Multiplex Ltd, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation, Cedar Fair LP, Merlin Entertainments Group, Universal Parks And Resorts.

Asia-Pacific was the largest region in the recreation market in 2025. Eastern Europe is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the recreation market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the recreation market report are China, India, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, South Korea, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, New Zealand, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iran, Turkey, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa.

The recreation market includes revenues earned by entities by operating amusements facilities, operating facilities or providing services for cultural, entertainment, and recreational interests, providing live sporting events before a paying audience, and operating golf courses and country clubs, skiing facilities, marinas, fitness, and recreational sports centers, and bowling centers. Gambling, except casino hotels, can also be considered to be part of the recreation market. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. Only goods and services traded between entities or sold to end consumers are included.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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