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 new research revealed that sports fans are the biggest spenders globally in comparison to those travelling for music events.
Key highlights:
- 80% of sports and music fans in Asia Pacific (APAC) have travelled by plane to watch their favourite team or artist
- Sports fans are the biggest spenders globally, with 57% of sports enthusiasts from APAC spending more than US$500 per trip, per person
- 4 in 5 event travellers from APAC visit new places rather than familiar ones
Sports and music tourism is seeing huge growth. In 2023, sports tourism was valued at US$564.7 billion and is expected to almost double in value to US$1.33 trillion by 2032. Similarly, music tourism is expected to see huge growth, forecasted to reach US$13.8 billion by 2032.
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.
In APAC, of those that travel to an event by plane, more than four-fifths (85%) have travelled for sports and 74% for music in the past three years or plan to do so in the coming 12 months. Of these travellers, over half (53%) travel more than once a year with 19% attending three or more events annually.
SPENDING HABITS
Sports fans are the biggest spenders globally, with 57% from APAC exceeding US$500 per trip. Notably, 12% of respondents in APAC spend more than US$2,000 per trip. Globally, the 25-34 age group spends the most overall, with a third (33%) exceeding US$1,000 for sports and 31% for music events.
The typical spend for event travellers globally at airports is US$100 (44%) but this varies considerably with those travelling for basketball (30%), Formula 1 (32%) and the Olympics (31%) prepared to spend US$200 or more. As for those travelling for music, 25% are prepared to spend US$200 or above.
Over 4 in 5 (82%) of APAC sports and music fans have travelled to a new city or country to watch their favourite team or artist and of those, 28% said they have returned to these new cities / countries – with a further 31% planning to return.
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.
More than half (52%) of APAC sports and music fans have used airport experiences when travelling for an event, which includes visiting an airport lounge (34%), gaming lounges (15%), sleep pods (16%) and spas (13%). The top reasons APAC fans visit an airport lounge is to relax and unwind before or after watching their favourite team/artist (58% for sports and 59% for music fans), followed by enjoying food and drink options at the airport (56% for sports and 57% for music).
The uptake of airport lounges is higher among those spending more money on the trip overall. Globally, those travelling to basketball events (48%), Formula 1 (45%) and the Olympics (44%) are more likely to use lounges, with these fans also spending the most.
TAILORING CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT AND LOYALTY PROGRAMMES
Around 65% of APAC event travellers participate in customer engagement and loyalty programmes. Many have joined customer engagement and loyalty programmes that offer points/miles (46%) or discounts on flights (50%), tickets (39%) and accommodation (38%).
Over a third (39%) of APAC event travellers would choose a payment card that offered exclusive travel benefits such as access to airport lounges, travel insurance (42%), and an event package (42%) that includes flights, accommodation, transfers and tickets.
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 are prepared to spend significantly to make their trip extra special,” says Christopher Evans, CEO of Collinson International.
“Fans are by definition synonymous with loyalty. Great news for the travel industry and businesses targeting frequent travellers by offering the travel benefits fans crave. In return, they will see the advantage of being top-of-mind with these frequent travellers, boosting engagement, building loyalty, and driving additional cross-border spend.”
“Sports and music events fuel wanderlust, taking travellers to every corner of the globe. As the appetite for sports and music tourism grows across Asia Pacific, significant opportunities for businesses are opening up,” says Todd Handcock, Global Chief Commercial Officer and Asia Pacific President, Collinson International.
“As businesses navigate this changing era, consumer loyalty and engagement emerge as pivotal drivers of growth and competitive advantage. Brands who can unlock the power and influence of sports and music-related rewards will position themselves well to benefit from higher customer engagement and retention.”
