Sports tourism market seen reaching $1.8 trillion by 2030

The global sports tourism market is projected to more than quintuple by 2030 as more people travel to attend or participate in sporting events. The report points to domestic travel, football/soccer and passive tourism as the biggest segments, with Europe leading by region.

Why it matters: - Sports tourism is becoming a larger driver of travel spending, hotel demand, restaurant traffic and local retail sales. - The market’s projected rise to $1,803,704.0 million by 2030 signals continued investment in sports venues, events and destination marketing. - Domestic travel remains the biggest segment, showing that local and regional event travel is still the main revenue engine.

What happened: - Allied Market Research projected the global sports tourism market will grow from $323,420.0 million in 2020 to $1,803,704.0 million by 2030. - The forecast implies a compound annual growth rate of 16.1% from 2021 to 2030. - The report was published June 8, 2026. - The market includes travel tied to observing or participating in sporting events away from tourists’ usual surroundings. - The report covers three sports tourism types: sports event tourism, celebrity and nostalgia sport tourism, and active sport tourism. - The analysis segments the market by product, type, category and region. - A sample PDF of the report is available.

The details: - By type, the domestic segment led the market with $181,415.6 million in 2020 and is projected to reach $987,090.7 million by 2030. - By product, football/soccer was the top revenue contributor in 2020 at $97,891.6 million and is projected to reach $516,691.3 million by 2030. - By category, passive sports tourism led with $190,844.4 million in 2020 and is projected to reach $1,046,683.0 million by 2030. - By region, Europe led with $119,018.6 million in 2020 and is projected to reach $624,081.6 million by 2030. - The report names BAC Sports, QuintEvents, Sports Travel & Hospitality Group, MATCH Hospitality, THG Sports, Club Europe Holidays Ltd., Gullivers Sports Travel Limited, Inspiresport, DTB Sports Hospitality and Event Management Ltd., and Great Atlantic Sports Travel as key players. - The market is segmented across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and LAMEA. - The product breakdown includes football/soccer, cricket, motorsport, tennis and others. - The category breakdown includes active and passive tourism. - Government development policies and investment in sports infrastructure such as playing fields, stadiums and sports clubs helped support the domestic segment. - A rise in sporting events, new tournaments and new venues is expected to keep attracting more tourists to sports destinations. - Larger seating capacities at venues can lift ticket revenue and sports package sales. - The report also links the growth of official fan zones to broader audience reach and stronger tourism demand.

Between the lines: - The report points to infrastructure and event expansion as the main growth catalysts, not just fan interest. - Europe’s lead suggests mature sports markets still generate the most spending, even as other regions expand. - The domestic segment’s dominance implies that near-home travel remains easier to scale than international sports trips. - The report also flags a restraint: weak financial support for franchise teams can trigger event cancellations and hurt demand. - COVID-19 sharply disrupted the sector through flight cancellations, travel bans, quarantines and bans on indoor events in more than 40 countries.

What’s next: - Sports tourism growth is likely to track the pace of new tournaments, venue upgrades and fan-zone expansion. - Hotels, resorts and event operators stand to benefit if sporting calendars keep widening. - The market could face uneven recovery if funding gaps or event cancellations disrupt schedules. - Investors and operators will likely continue using the report to identify partners, target customer segments and shape licensing and competitive strategies.

The bottom line: - Sports tourism is moving from a niche travel category to a major global market, with domestic travel and football/soccer still doing most of the heavy lifting.