Sports Tourism on the Rise

Sports fans are willing to travel far and wide to witness a part of history. From the avid sports fans that travel abroad to watch European soccer matches to the dedicated baseball fans that have it on their bucket list to visit every major league field to those who want to visit the growing number of hall of fames and sporting exhibits, more travelers are planning sports-focused trips. In fact, according to the Travel Industry Association, about 40% of American adults travel 50 miles or more to attend sporting events. And with the growing emphasis that cities nationwide are placing on sports tourism to boost economic growth, that number will most likely increase. The Boston Globe recently detailed this change in the travel industry, reporting that sports tourism is currently a 1.41 trillion dollar industry and by 2021, it is projected to rise to 5.72 trillion dollars.

So what does this mean for travel agents? It means that by getting to know your clients’ interests, you can take advantage of the increase in sports tourism by creating packages that combine your clients’ passion with the ease and convenience of having everything planned and booked by you.