Interview
With India’s sports tourism market projected to hit nearly US$130bn by 2030, a new generation of travellers is planning entire journeys around live events, from cricket World Cups to football finals. Millennials and Gen Z aren’t just watching the game — they’re exploring new cities through it. This shift, says Rohan Bhalla, Vice President, Business Solutions, Asia Pacific, Collinson International, is also transforming how Indians choose and use payment cards.
How significant is sports as a travel motivator for Indian consumers today?
We are entering an era of ‘Passion Pursuits’, where travellers are increasingly seeking journeys that align with their personal interests and enrich their lives. Sports has emerged as a strong travel category and is shaping destination choices and spending, especially among younger travellers in India. The Indian sports tourism market is also projected to reach nearly US$130bn by 2030, making it one of the fastest-growing markets for this tourism sector.
Priority Pass’ latest report, From Stadiums to Spas: Unlocking the Explosive Growth of Sports and Wellness Travel, surveyed over 1,000 respondents in India and found that of those who travel for sports or wellness, 25% travelled for a sporting event.
Live sporting events offer a sense of passion, connection and excitement for fans, encouraging them to plan their travels more intentionally around key matches and tournaments. The report found that 51% of those who travel for sports are motivated by the excitement of live events, while 46% by their passion for a specific sports or team.
Younger generations (Millennials and Gen Z) in India are also using sports travel as a jumping-off point for new experiences, with more than half (55%) of younger travellers motivated to explore new cities through sports travel.
Where are they travelling to and what specific sports is their area of interest?
The report reveals that sports fandom in India runs deepest for cricket and football. Cricket leads by a considerable margin, with 81% of sports travellers in India citing it as their primary sporting interest.
Wherever these sports host their defining moments, Indian fans make the journey to witness them firsthand. A survey of younger Indian travellers aged 18-28 found that nearly 60% plan to travel to attend live cricket matches in 2026 alone.
In the lead up to the 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup, accommodation searches surged between 60% and 120% year-on-year across host cities such as Ranchi, Thiruvananthapuram, Jaipur and Lucknow, with fans travelling well beyond their home cities to attend matches.
Football has a strong allure as well with flight searches from India to Doha surging up 250% year-on-year during the last World Cup in Qatar. Searches for this year’s World Cup host cities across the US, Canada and Mexico are already up 30 to 50% year-on-year, reflecting just how intertwined sporting passion is with travel intent.
Travel Insight
“Sports tourism is no longer niche — it is shaping destination discovery, consumer spending and even payment behaviour among Indian travellers.”
What does the growth of sports and experience-led travel mean for brands?
In this era of ‘Passion Pursuits’, travel has become a primary channel through which people pursue experiences that enrich their lives. There are many such experiential moments in live sports — from watching your favourite team compete to soaking in the energy of a packed stadium.
The expectation on brands is growing alongside this demand, as 81% of consumers in APAC are increasingly turning to brands for these types of transformative experiences.
This puts brands, particularly those in the financial services industry, in a uniquely powerful position. Research found that in India, the growing significance of sports as a travel motivator is shaping card acquisition, with close to 9 in 10 cardholders with travel benefits influenced to acquire their payment card due to sports and wellness travel interests.
For cardholders who have access to travel benefits through their cards, those perks drive usage too — 50% of Indian cardholders say it encourages them to use their card more for general spending, higher than the regional APAC average of 47%.
Indian travellers are increasingly placing a greater value on travel benefits offered by brands — from seamless airport experiences such as airport lounge access, to curated packages and exclusive event privileges.
As consumer expectations continue to evolve, brands that unlock access to these aspirational, life-enriching experiences are better positioned to be catalysts of happiness, building deeper engagement and fostering lasting loyalty.
Anything else you would like to add?
As demand for sports tourism and experience-led travel continues to grow, travellers are placing greater emphasis on enhancing their travel and place a high value on efficiency and comfort throughout their journey.
In India, 64% of travellers say a good journey significantly enhances how much they enjoy the trip overall, well above the APAC average of 52%. Additionally, 85% of cardholders in India with airport lounge access frequently utilise their benefit, highlighting the growing importance of seamless, premium travel experiences.
Priority Pass offers access to over 1,800 airport lounges and travel experiences globally. Beyond airport lounges, members can also enjoy a wide range of other travel experiences — from spa services and sleeping pods to curated dining experiences — elevating every journey into something special.
TRAVTALK Interview Series
Travel • Sports • Experiences • Loyalty