Sports Tourism Market Report 2025

This Sports Tourism market report provides a comprehensive analysis of the market’s characteristics, size, and growth, including segmentation, regional and country-level breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends, and strategies. It also tracks historical and forecasted market growth across various geographies.

The sports tourism market size has grown rapidly in recent years. It will grow from $583.14 billion in 2024 to $649.73 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.4%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to improving transportation infrastructure, the rise of sports media, increasing globalization, rising growth in the sports industry, and the rising number of tournaments.

The sports tourism market size is expected to see rapid growth in the next few years. It will grow to $992.32 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.2%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to growth in advertising, an increase in women’s team participation, an increase in the number of fan zones, an increasing need for technology, and increasing investments by numerous organizations. Major trends in the forecast period include AI integrated into wearable devices such as watches and heart rate monitors to track the players, digital transformation, technology advancement, the Internet of Things (IoT), and the adoption of AR and VR in sports.

The growth in the number of young players is expected to drive the expansion of the sports tourism market in the future. This rise in youth participation is often fueled by greater awareness of health benefits, more accessible sports programs, and enhanced community involvement. Increased participation among young players boosts sports tourism by elevating the demand for youth sports events and tournaments, leading to more travel for competitions and training camps. For example, in December 2023, a report by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) noted that team sports participation in the United States grew to 70.8 million in 2022, up from 67 million in 2020, representing an increase of 3.6 million participants. The growth was particularly significant among the 6-to-12 and 13-to-17 age groups, which saw higher participation levels from 2021 to 2022. Consequently, the rising number of young players is fueling the growth of the sports tourism market.

Major players in the sports tourism market are concentrating on developing advanced solutions such as dynamic real-time index scoring to improve decision-making and event management. Dynamic real-time index scoring involves continuously assessing and updating scores or ratings for destinations, events, and facilities based on live data. This system helps stakeholders make informed decisions and quickly adapt to changing conditions. For example, in June 2024, Tempest, a US-based provider of software, websites, and digital marketing solutions, introduced Sports Tourism Index 2.0. This upgraded platform is designed to enhance the capabilities of destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and sports event rights holders. It features improved event search functionalities with predictive capabilities, dynamic real-time index scoring, and comprehensive management tools for facilities and user teams. Additionally, it provides on-demand reporting and advanced matchmaking features to better align events with appropriate facilities.

In May 2024, Sports Tours International, a UK-based sports travel company, acquired Destination Marathons LLC for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition enables Sports Tours International to broaden its reach and offer a wider range of running events and destinations to American runners. Destination Marathons LLC, a US-based travel company, specializes in providing comprehensive travel packages for runners participating in marathons around the world.

Major companies operating in the sports tourism market are KNT CT Holdings, IMG Travel, Thomas Cook India Ltd., International Sports Management Inc., Teamlink Travel, Match Hospitality AG, QuintEvents LLC, Sports Tours International Ltd., Sportsnet Corp. Pty Ltd., JTB India Pvt. Ltd., Fanatic Sports Pvt. Ltd., Event Travel Management, Sports Travel and Hospitality Group Ltd., Travel And Sport, Veda Sports Marketing Pvt. Ltd., Victory Sports Tours, BAC Sports Ltd., DTB Sports Management Ltd, Premiership Experience, Global Sports Travel and Tours Pty Ltd., Sports Travel Group, ITC Travel Group, Hospitality Group.

Europe was the largest region in the sports tourism market in 2024. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the sports tourism market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the sports tourism market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

Sports tourism entails traveling to either participate in or observe sporting events and activities. It includes attending major sports events, participating in recreational sports, and visiting destinations renowned for their sporting facilities. This type of tourism not only stimulates local economies but also fosters cultural exchange and advances sports development.

The primary types of sports tourism are active, passive, and nostalgia. Active sports tourism involves traveling to engage in physical sports or fitness activities at different locations. This includes sports such as soccer, football, cricket, basketball, tennis, hockey, and others. It covers various categories such as adventure sports tourism, individual sports tourism, and team sports tourism. Booking for these activities can be done through online booking platforms, direct bookings, travel agencies, social media platforms, and other channels.

The sports tourism market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides sports tourism market statistics, including the sports tourism industry's global market size, regional shares, competitors with a sports tourism market share, detailed sports tourism market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the sports tourism industry. This sports tourism market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenarios of the industry.

The sports tourism market includes revenues earned by entities by providing services such as tickets to sports events and matches, event management, travel insurance, and cultural and recreational services. 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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