“Hemant Mediratta, CEO, One Rep Global, a prominent firm specializing in luxury hospitality and tourism representation, highlights the increasing trend of sports and entertainment-focused outbound tourism. “As India’s outbound tourism continues to flourish, more travellers are seeking immersive experiences beyond traditional sightseeing. There’s a noticeable surge in demand for travel experiences centered around sports and entertainment with 33% Indians travellers are keen to travel to attend music festivals and 23% of them consider sporting events like Olympics and Formula1 while choosing travel destination . We observed this trend last year as well during Mini football World Cup 2023 organised in Ras Al Khaimah. There was a significant increase in the travellers to the destination specifically for the event.”
He also elaborates on the expanding scope of this trend, pointing to the growing interest in international sporting events beyond Cricket, “Events such as the Olympics and UEFA European Championships are attracting travellers to destinations like Paris and Berlin and music enthusiasts are traveling overseas to attend concerts by global icons like Coldplay, Taylor Swift, and festivals like Tomorrowland in Belgium. Travellers are amalgamating their usual itinerary with travel for sports and entertainment. For instance, visitors to Paris during the Olympics can shop at the iconic locales like Galeries Lafayette Hausmann Paris, enriching their experience beyond the sport. Similarly, fans visiting Amsterdam for a Taylor Swift concert or Tomorrowland, can enhance their stay at luxurious accommodations such as De L’Europe, Amsterdam and Botanic Sanctuary, respectively.”