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Where the Game Takes You: The Rise of Sports Tourism
By Lanny Brooks | Go Cybernaut Sports Editor
“Let’s go beyond the scoreboard.”
Sport is movement. Not just in the body, but across borders.
In 2025, sports tourism is one of the fastest-growing trends in global travel. From fans flying cross-country to watch their team in the playoffs, to amateurs chasing personal bests in exotic marathon destinations, to families planning vacations around youth tournaments, the world is lacing up for adventure.
This isn’t just about tickets and trophies. It’s about travel with a purpose—a reason to go somewhere new, to feel something deep, to join a crowd of strangers and cheer like you’ve known them your whole life.
Welcome to the age of sports tourism.
From Bucket Lists to Brackets
For many fans, sports destinations have become modern pilgrimages. Baseball lovers visit Fenway Park or Tokyo Dome. Soccer fans dream of Camp Nou or Maracanã. Golfers book tee times in Scotland. These aren’t just venues—they’re sacred grounds.
“It was on my dad’s bucket list,” said Mariah Thompson, who traveled from Manitoba to Wrigley Field with her father last summer. “We sat in the bleachers, sang during the seventh-inning stretch, and cried. That’s not just tourism—that’s a core memory.”
And it’s not just major leagues. A growing number of travelers are building vacations around local tournaments, collegiate championships, and rising sports like pickleball, skateboarding, and even esports.
Cities That Play to Win
Sports tourism is transforming how cities pitch themselves to the world.
In Quebec, curling camps have a one-year waitlist. In Colorado, trail running festivals have become a new form of eco-tourism. And in the UK, “stadium hopping” tours draw international fans to iconic football grounds and post-match pub culture.
“Hosting a regional tournament used to be a civic duty,” says Lynn Reyes of the International Sports Tourism Board. “Now it’s an economic strategy.”
That strategy pays off. The Paris Olympics are expected to have generate over €10 billion in tourism revenue. Meanwhile, smaller events—like Canada’s Gran Fondo cycling races or Hawaii’s surf competitions—bring in waves of niche travelers with big spending power.
A New Kind of Athlete-Traveler
Sports tourists aren’t all fans—they’re players too.
More travelers are signing up for participatory experiences: running a race in Reykjavik, playing in beach volleyball tournaments in Thailand, or joining jiu-jitsu camps in Brazil. These travelers aren’t spectators; they want in on the action.
“There’s nothing like competing with the ocean at your back,” says Lior Mendel, who flew to Costa Rica for an open-water swim retreat. “It’s part sport, part soul search.”
Even wellness-focused travelers are turning to “active escapes”—like cycling tours in Portugal or sunrise yoga on Machu Picchu’s lower trails—as part of a growing blend of fitness and exploration.
Why It Works: The Emotion of Sport
Sport evokes emotion: anticipation, heartbreak, triumph, community. Travel does too. Together, they create powerful memories.
A championship parade in a city you’ve never been to. A pickup game on a beach in a foreign language. A moment in the stands when your voice disappears because you yelled that loud for a team you just adopted.
That’s the heartbeat of sports tourism—it doesn’t just show you a place. It lets you feel it.
Top 10 Sports Tourism Destinations in 2025
Curated by Go Cybernaut & Team Cybernaut
Barcelona, Spain – For soccer history, urban cycling, and waterfront runs
Banff, Canada – For trail marathons with glacier views
Tokyo, Japan – For baseball, martial arts, and sumo tournaments
Cape Town, South Africa – For surf, rugby, and mountain biking
Florence, Italy – Home of the historic Calcio Storico match
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Beach volleyball, soccer, and samba-fueled energy
Aspen, Colorado, USA – Winter sports and adaptive adventure competitions
Melbourne, Australia – Tennis Grand Slam and cricket paradise
Reykjavik, Iceland – Midnight sun marathons and geothermal swims
Dakar, Senegal – Wrestling tournaments and community sporting culture
Game On, World
In a world often divided, sport remains one of the few universal languages. And travel? It’s how we translate that language—into stories, friendships, and unshakable memories.
So whether you’re chasing a medal or just soaking in the stadium chants, here’s your invitation: pack your bag, bring your team scarf, and let the game take you somewhere new.
More to Explore
Shop for Travel Day – National Shop for Travel Day is celebrated annually every second Tuesday in January, on January 14th this year.
Major League Baseball Opening Day – This season is especially exciting because it will mark the first time since 1968 that all teams begin play (in the U.S.) on the same day — March 27.
NASCAR Day – Celebrate auto sports and NASCAR on the third Friday in May!
National Golf Month – National Golf Month is celebrated in August each year.
American Football Day – American Football Day on the 5th of November, celebrates the U.S.A’s most popular sport and reminds us all that it’s mid-season and we should probably check on our fantasy teams.
Let’s get inspired with Lanny’s Sports-Travel Music Playlist at Youtube!
Sports Radio at Radio.Garden
- 5N590 The Fan (Toronto, ON)
- 680 The Fan (Atlanta, GA)
- Arizona Sports KTAR (Phoenix, AZ)
- ESPN 630 AM (Washington DC)
- ESPN 710 (Seattle, WA)
- FNTSY Sports Radio Network (New York, NY)
- Fox Sports 990 AM (Honolulu, HI)
- KBME Sports Talk 790 (Houston, TX)
- KLAA Angels Radio AM 830 (Anaheim CA)
- Radio DePaul Sports (Chicago, IL)
- Sports 91.9 (Montreal, Quebec)
- Sports Animal 920 (Little Rock)
- Sports Radio 1150 The Zone (College Station, TX)
- Sports Radio 1240 AM (Youngstown OH)
- Sports Radio 1450 AM (Springfield, IL)
- Sports Radio KWSN FM (Sioux Falls, SD)
- TSN 1050 (Toronto)
- WHBQ Sports 56 (Memphis, TN)
- WSJS Sports (Kernersville, NC)
Baseball Stadiums – Where are you?
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