TBM Staff - Mumbai Collinson International, the owner and operator of Priority Pass and LoungeKey, has released its latest global research report, The Value of Sports and Music Tourism, exploring the travel and spending habits of sports and music event travellers.
The research revealed that sports fans globally are the biggest spenders with over half (51%) exceeding USD 500 per trip, per person. Cricket, being one of India’s most popular sport, sees its fans in India (83%) travel to watch and support their favourite team. Football (soccer) fans in India are the second most likely to travel (49%), followed by those watching the Olympics (27%), basketball and tennis (both 24%).
Sports and music tourism is seeing huge growth. In 2023, sports tourism was valued at USD 564.7 billion and is expected to almost double in value to USD 1.33 trillion by 2032.[1] Similarly, music tourism is expected to see huge growth, forecasted to reach USD 13.8 billion by 2032.[2]
This is being driven by three main components: Events, with more sports and music events, fans have more choice of destinations; Exposure, the internationalisation of new and existing sports leagues through TV and streaming has encouraged fans to travel, while music fans are finding it may be more cost-effective to see an artist abroad; and Experience, after years of Covid-19 travel restrictions, live fans are back and wanting new, enhanced experiences.
Sports and music tourism is booming and event travellers have high aspirations, presenting a huge opportunity for businesses to tap into this growing segment of travellers. Of those that travel to an event by plane, more than four-fifths (83%) have travelled for sports and 71% for music in the past three years or plan to do so in the coming 12 months.
Of these travellers, over half (56%) travel more than once a year with 22% attending 3 or more events annually. Sports and music fans in India are also following suit with 84% travelling for sports and more than half for music (53%), of which 63% of them travel more than once a year, with 29% attending three or more events annually.
Spending Habits
Sports fans are the biggest spenders globally, with 55% Indian travellers exceeding USD 500 per trip. Notably, 12% of respondents in Asia Pacific spend more than USD 2,000. Looking at the global data, the 25-34 age group spends the most overall, with a third (33%) exceeding USD 1,000 for sports and 31% for music events.
Globally, the typical spend for event travellers at airports is USD 100 (44%) but this varies considerably with those travelling for basketball (30%), Formula 1 (32%) and the Olympics (31%) prepared to spend USD 200 or more. As for those travelling for music, 25% are prepared to spend US$200 or above.
Over 4 in 5 (96%) of sports and music fans from India have also travelled to a new city or country to watch their favourite team or artist and of those, 43% said they have gone back. This presents huge economic growth opportunities for local businesses within these destinations, particularly where repeat business can be identified ahead of time.
Elevated Airport Experiences
Those travelling to see their favourite sports team or artist are looking for more premium travel experiences, which means they are more likely to take advantage of airport experiences.
In India, more than two-thirds (68%) of respondents revealed that they have used airport experiences when travelling for an event. This includes visiting airport lounges (42%), gaming lounges (26%), sleep pods (25%) and spas (23%). The top reasons Indian fans visit an airport lounge is to relax and unwind before or after watching their favourite team/artist (54% for sports and music fans), followed by enjoying food and drink options (55% for sports and music fans) at the airport.
Tailoring customer engagement & loyalty programmes
Over two-thirds of event travellers from India (69%) participate in customer engagement and loyalty programmes. Many have joined programmes that offer points/miles (39%) or discounts on flights (52%), tickets (45%), and accommodation (39%). Over a third (39%) of event travellers from India have also expressed that they would choose a payment card that offered exclusive travel benefits such as an event package (that includes flights, accommodation, transfers and tickets), travel insurance (40%) and airport lounge access (43%).
Airport lounge access is a popular travel benefit through payment cards, particularly for travellers from India (43%), Hong Kong, UAE, Australia (all 41%), Singapore (40%) Germany (34%), UK (33%) and Brazil (32%).
“The growing and global fanbase that will travel to iconic sports and music events is looking for unforgettable experiences and are prepared to spend significantly to make their trip extra special,” says Christopher Evans, CEO of Collinson International, owner and operator of Priority Pass.
“Fans are by definition synonymous with loyalty. This new research shows the high value they place on travel benefits. Great news for the travel industry and for those businesses targeting frequent travellers providing the opportunity to capitalise on the rise of event tourism by offering the travel benefits fans crave. In return, they will see the advantage of being top-of-mind and wallet with these frequent travellers, boosting engagement, building loyalty, and driving additional cross-border spend.”
Sumit Prakash, Country Director, India and South Asia, Collinson International, added, “As travel continues to gain momentum in India, travellers in India are seeking authentic and immersive experiences and this includes travelling for sporting and music events internationally. They are also willing to spend significantly to make their trip extra special as they believe this to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This presents new opportunities for brands to enhance their customer engagement and loyalty propositions by offering sports or music-related experiences, as it will enable them to deepen their relationships with their most valued customers, and in turn, generate measurable impact to their business.”
