Sports tourism is travel undertaken to watch, participate in or experience sport away from a person’s usual environment. It includes attending major sporting events, competing in amateur competitions, taking active holidays and visiting famous sporting venues.
From watching the FIFA World Cup or Formula 1 to running a marathon abroad, playing golf on holiday or taking a skiing trip, sports tourism brings together two major global industries: sport and travel.
It is an important part of the wider tourism economy, generating visitor spending on accommodation, transport, hospitality, attractions and sporting experiences.
What is the definition of sports tourism?
Sports tourism refers to travel motivated by sport, whether the traveller is a spectator, participant or visitor to a sports-related attraction.
UN Tourism defines sports tourism as travel in which tourists either watch or actively participate in sporting events, generally involving competitive activities.
The wider sports travel industry also encompasses recreational activities and experiences, such as cycling holidays, surf camps, golf breaks, skiing trips and visits to iconic stadiums.
Sports Tourism News defines sports tourism as travel in which sport is a primary motivation or a significant part of the visitor experience, whether through participation, spectatorship or sports-related activities.
Sport can be the main reason for a trip or one of several experiences enjoyed during a holiday.
What are the main types of sports tourism?
Sports tourism can be divided into three broad categories: spectator sports tourism, participatory sports tourism and sports heritage tourism.
1. Spectator sports tourism
Spectator sports tourism involves travelling to watch sporting events. Examples include:
- Attending the Olympic Games or FIFA World Cup
- Travelling to a Formula 1 Grand Prix
- Watching tennis at Wimbledon or the Australian Open
- Following a football club to an international away match
- Attending major golf tournaments or international cricket matches
These events attract domestic and international visitors who spend money on hotels, restaurants, transport and other tourism services.
2. Participatory sports tourism
Participatory sports tourism involves travelling to take part in sport, either competitively or recreationally. Examples include:
- Running an international marathon or half marathon
- Entering a cycling race or triathlon
- Booking a golf holiday
- Travelling for skiing, surfing or hiking
- Attending a football, tennis or fitness training camp
Participation can range from elite athletic competition to recreational holidays.
The term racecation is commonly used to describe a holiday built around participation in a running race or other endurance event.
3. Sports heritage tourism
Sports heritage tourism involves visiting places associated with sporting history, culture and achievement. Examples include:
- Touring famous football stadiums
- Visiting sports museums and halls of fame
- Exploring Olympic venues
- Visiting historic motorsport circuits
- Discovering locations associated with famous athletes or sporting achievements
Unlike spectator tourism, these experiences do not necessarily involve attending a live sporting event.
What are examples of sports tourism?
Sports tourism takes many forms, from international tournaments attracting millions of spectators to individual travellers booking active holidays.
| Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Football tourism | Travelling to watch the FIFA World Cup or an overseas club match |
| Motorsport tourism | Attending a Formula 1 Grand Prix |
| Running tourism | Entering the Cardiff Half Marathon or Berlin Marathon |
| Golf tourism | Booking a golf holiday in Portugal or Spain |
| Winter sports tourism | Travelling to the Alps for skiing or snowboarding |
| Cycling tourism | Taking a cycling holiday or entering an overseas cycling event |
| Adventure sports tourism | Travelling for surfing, diving or mountain biking |
| Sports heritage tourism | Visiting a famous stadium or sporting museum |
| Youth sports tourism | Travelling for school or junior sports tournaments |
These examples demonstrate how sports tourism connects professional sport, grassroots participation, recreation and destination experiences.
Why is sports tourism important?
Sports tourism can deliver economic, social and cultural benefits to destinations.
Major sporting events attract visitors who spend money on accommodation, restaurants, transport and local attractions. They can also raise a destination’s international profile and encourage visitors to return.
Participatory events, including marathons, cycling competitions and amateur tournaments, can generate tourism activity beyond traditional peak holiday periods.
For destinations, sports tourism offers several potential benefits:
- Economic impact: Visitor spending supports tourism businesses and employment.
- Destination promotion: International events showcase cities and regions to global audiences.
- Seasonal tourism: Sporting events can help attract visitors outside peak travel periods.
- Infrastructure: Investment in sporting facilities and transport can create longer-term benefits.
- Community participation: Events can encourage local engagement with sport and physical activity.
However, the benefits are not automatic. Large events can involve substantial public expenditure, environmental pressures and disruption to residents. Their long-term value depends on planning, management and the lasting use of infrastructure.
How big is the global sports tourism market?
Sports tourism is widely identified as a growing segment of the global travel industry.
The World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism at a Turning Point report, published in collaboration with Kearney in July 2025, identifies sports tourism among the emerging segments helping to drive travel industry growth.
The report cites an estimated global sports tourism market value of US$609 billion in 2023 and a projected compound annual growth rate of 16%, with the market forecast to exceed US$1.7 trillion by 2032.
These figures are market estimates and forecasts, rather than confirmed future outcomes. Estimates of the sports tourism market can vary depending on which sporting activities, travel expenditure and visitor categories are included.
UN Tourism has also highlighted the importance of sports tourism to international tourism development, including its potential to create economic opportunities and strengthen destination identities.
What is the difference between sports tourism and adventure tourism?
Sports tourism and adventure tourism overlap, but they are not identical.
Sports tourism focuses on travel motivated by sport, whether competitive, recreational or spectator-based.
Adventure tourism typically focuses on experiences involving physical activity, natural environments and exploration, sometimes with an element of challenge or perceived risk.
For example, travelling to watch Wimbledon is sports tourism but would not generally be classified as adventure tourism. A mountain biking holiday could fall into both categories.
What is the future of sports tourism?
The future of sports tourism is being shaped by demand for live events, active holidays, recreational participation and distinctive travel experiences.
Major sporting competitions remain important tourism attractions, while running holidays, cycling trips, golf breaks and other active experiences broaden the industry’s appeal.
Destinations, event organisers, sports clubs, hotels and tour operators are increasingly combining sporting activities with accommodation, cultural experiences and wider holiday itineraries.
For travellers, this means more opportunities to build a holiday around a favourite sport, major event or personal challenge.
For destinations, the challenge is to turn interest in sport into sustainable tourism benefits for businesses, residents and visitors.
Frequently asked questions about sports tourism
What is sports tourism in simple terms?
Sports tourism means travelling away from home to watch sport, participate in sporting activities or visit sports-related attractions. Examples include attending the Olympics, running an overseas marathon or booking a golf holiday.
What are the three main types of sports tourism?
Three broad categories are spectator sports tourism, participatory sports tourism and sports heritage tourism. These cover watching sporting events, taking part in sport and visiting places associated with sporting history.
Is golf tourism a type of sports tourism?
Yes. Golf tourism is a form of participatory sports tourism in which people travel to play golf, attend golf academies or experience golf resorts. Travelling to watch a professional golf tournament is spectator sports tourism.
Is attending a football match sports tourism?
Yes, when travelling away from a person’s usual environment to attend the match. Football tourism includes domestic and international trips to watch clubs, national teams and major tournaments.
What is a racecation?
A racecation is a trip that combines participation in a sporting race with a holiday. It is commonly associated with marathons, half marathons, triathlons and other endurance events.
Why is sports tourism growing?
Sports tourism growth is associated with interest in live sporting events, active travel, participation in recreational sport and the availability of sports-focused travel experiences. The scale of growth varies between markets and activities.
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Expert definitions of sports tourism
Here we look at what sports tourism is and an expert’s view on its impact…
UN Tourism
“Sports tourism is a type of tourism activity which refers to the travel experience of the tourist who either observes as a spectator or actively participates in a sporting event generally involving commercial and non-commercial activities of a competitive nature. Sports tourism is a fundamental axis, generating around 10% of the world’s expenditure on tourism. It has an estimated growth rate of 17.5% between 2023-2030, moving masses intra and intercontinentally. Sports tourism can promote social, economic and environmental action, it accelerates development and can leave a long-lasting positive legacy. Sports and Tourism are interrelated and complementary. Today, sports tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors in tourism. More and more tourists are interested in sport activities during their trips whether sports are the main objective of travel or not. Sport events of various kinds and sizes attract tourists as participants or spectators and destinations try to add local flavours to them to distinguish themselves and provide authentic local experiences. Mega sport events such as the Olympics and World Cups can be a catalyst for tourism development if successfully leveraged in terms of destination branding, infrastructure development and other economic and social benefits.”