Millennials are driving a sports tourism boom — and spending big to do it. Here's why

Vince Nguyen, a 39-year-old entrepreneur based successful Vietnam, spends a fewer hundreds astir each period traveling to different countries to play pickleball.

The sport, which began arsenic a pastime aft injuring himself successful American football, has since go cardinal to his lifestyle, arsenic helium plays it for 2 to 4 hours astir daily.

Since helium picked up the athletics 2 years ago, Nguyen has played leisurely successful Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and Canada. Next month, helium is readying to caput to China for an upcoming tournament.

He says helium forks retired a fewer hundreds connected round-trip flights to Taiwan oregon Malaysia for tournaments and leisure play with friends. Additionally, helium pays the tribunal fees, ranging from $4 to $8 for unfastened play, and astir $38 a nighttime for hotels. In total, the trips outgo him betwixt $386 to $772.

However, helium spends astir $1,000 erstwhile traveling to Canada, wherever flights and indoor courts are pricier than successful Asia.

"I similar to walk a week ... playing a fewer times, checking retired antithetic courts, going to antithetic restaurants," helium said.

Nguyen believes traveling to play pickleball makes a quality arsenic "every state has a small spot antithetic style" successful playing the game, and helium is not alone. He is 1 of the galore millennials that are fueling a rising inclination successful travel: sports tourism.

According to Hilton's 2026 Trends Report, which polled implicit 14,000 travelers crossed 14 countries, about 67% of millennials person planned a travel for events related to their interests, including sports, wellness and concerts.

In the U.S. alone, millennials are 80% much apt to program a abrogation for tennis and 87% for pickleball, according to a survey by online question bureau Priceline connected question trends successful 2025.

And determination are nary signs of the sports tourism slowing down. The sports tourism manufacture is already a $707.29 cardinal market and is forecasted to astir triple by 2032, according to Fortune Business Insights.

Europe leads the marketplace with a valuation of $248.23 cardinal past year. Meanwhile, Asia-Pacific has been marked the fastest-growing region, anticipated to beryllium worthy $149.50 cardinal successful 2025.

Sports tourism successful Asia-Pacific is projected to person a compound yearly maturation complaint of 17.85% from 2025 to 2032.  

Another millenial, 35-year-old Nirbhay Handa who is based successful Singapore, besides travels overseas for tennis.

"I'll spell to a tennis campy successful Phuket … erstwhile I question to Dubai and Abu Dhabi I person a tennis manager that I conscionable spell and play with successful the evenings aft work," helium said. "I deliberation this makes maine amended astatine work, due to the fact that I'm successful a amended mood. I'm not irritated," the entrepreneur said.

He takes astir six tennis trips a twelvemonth including ones for business, spending astir $200 a week connected sessions successful Dubai.

Handa said that the athletics is much than a hobby to him. "It conscionable became precise therapeutic, and it enactment maine connected to immoderate bully habits … not drinking till precocious connected Friday … giving up societal smoking completely," helium added.

He makes it a constituent to play a crippled of tennis erstwhile he's overseas for leisure oregon business.

Tennis, which helium deems "good for your soul," not lone helps him unwind but besides fulfils his societal life.

"It does a small spot of what going retired to a pub would bash for a batch of people, you know, which is gathering people, gathering your friends implicit a drink," helium said, but "I consciousness similar I tin bash that astatine the tennis court."

Mike Goldys, who lives successful Florida, travels to surf overseas with a extremity of playing successful arsenic galore antithetic surf parks arsenic possible. The 39-year-old has logged 140 hours truthful acold crossed 26 cities successful 10 countries.

"Each surf parkland … is precise unsocial for me. I … conscionable can't get capable of it, helium said. "I privation to support checking them disconnected and seeing what this 1 was similar successful this state."

"I seldom spell backmost to the aforesaid question excavation twice," helium added.

Goldys has spent $18,500 connected surf sessions alone, budgeting $6000 to $10,000 per travel depending connected flights and accommodation, helium said. He besides sets speech wealth for photography and videography to stock connected societal platforms.

As a societal media strategist astatine a non-profit organization, helium takes 1 to 2 weeks disconnected for surfing trips — lone tending to enactment matters for emergencies.

"When you wage to surf successful a question excavation you're guaranteed waves that they're truly almighty and similar bully shape… a mode to accelerate progress," helium said. "[It's] precise speedy for idiosyncratic who doesn't person the cleanable waves each the time" adjacent his residence successful Florida.

At $170 an hour, surf parks aren't cheap. But Goldys importune they're worthy it.   

"As agelong arsenic it doesn't enactment you successful a atrocious presumption afterwards financially," helium said.