"There is no doubt about it: sports is a leading reason to travel. And with so many high profile events happening, 2026 is set to be a banner year for it. Take, for example, the Winter Olympics, shining a spotlight on Northern Italy, from Milan through the Dolomites (and giving travelers reason to indulge in the area's celebrated polenta and skiing). In June, an estimated six million people are expected to pour into North America as 16 cities"
"And with it all comes the fans, who come as much for the spectacle as they do the Bollinger served trackside and A-Listers sat front row at the US Open finals. Sports tourism is now an estimated $680 billion dollar industry according to the United Nations, accounting for 10 percent of the travel industry. And it's showing no signs of slowing down. Beyond those big tentpole moments on a sporting calendar, the sports themselves-just like food or art-continue to be a gateway into"
"a destination. What better way to understand the vitality of New York City than at a Knicks or Liberty game? Or the thrill of Mumbai than with locals at an Indian Premier League cricket match? Take that concept one step further, and bring a favorite sport to a fresh destination- the NFL is now playing regulation season games in places as far flung as Melbourne, London, São Paulo, and Berlin-and you have the team's hometown fans stamping passports to"
Sports function as a primary motivator for travel, concentrated around marquee events and routine competitions. Major 2026 events such as the Winter Olympics in Northern Italy and the FIFA World Cup across 16 North American cities will attract millions of visitors. Regular programming like tennis grand slams, the Super Bowl, and Formula 1 races sustain continuous fan travel. The sector amounts to roughly $680 billion and constitutes about 10 percent of the travel industry. Sporting experiences act as cultural gateways into destinations, while international scheduling of regular-season games encourages teams' hometown fans to travel abroad.
Read at Conde Nast Traveler
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