Do you describe yourself as a sports tourist, a leisure tourist or both? If you are finding it difficult to come to a conclusion, participate in the upcoming Arabian Travel Market 2026 to understand the concept better. Dubai is getting ready to host another key edition of ATM and this time, the spotlight is expected to fall on ‘sports tourism’ and its increasing importance for the Middle East.
Just as the name suggests, sports tourists are sports event-driven travellers that travel overnight to attend live sporting events. These people tend to spend significantly more than normal tourists per trip. Does that mean that sports tourism is the next big thing in 2026? It seems to be the case. In the upcoming Arabian Travel Market 2026, this concept is going to be discussed much more deeply.
$2 Trillion Sports Tourism Market by 2030: Is Dubai Leading the Progress?
Numbers do not lie. Frequent sports tourists are spending up to a couple of times as much per trip as the normal tourist. In many cases, these sports event travellers are seen outspending traditional tourists as they continue to seek premium, high-quality experiences. If destinations and tour operators understand the source of motivation for different sports fans across the globe, it is not going to take longer for the global sports tourism market to cross $2 trillion.
Let’s understand the scale of opportunity Dubai has in all of this. In the last couple of years alone, some of the biggest sporting and entertainment events in the Middle East happened in Dubai. From Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Dubai Marathon and Dubai Fitness Challenge to The Messi Experience, Asia Cup 2025 Final and Emirates Dubai 7s, this list has been super engaging for all of us. But the future looks much brighter as Dubai is set to host more such significant sporting tournaments. Once the list of events expands, the number of sports tourists flocking to Dubai to experience the fun is also going to increase.
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Why Dubai’s Central Location and Short-Haul Connectivity Back Sports Tourism Drive
Imagine this. BTS have just announced their global tour after a long hiatus. Starting from Goyang in South Korea to Manila in the Philippines, Paris in France and Toronto in Canada, scores of cities across the globe are eagerly preparing for a blockbuster concert. The K-pop singers are also coming to the Middle East, although the particular city(s) hasn’t been announced yet. Still, Dubai is one of the best locations to host BTS.
If all the stars align, BTS finally annouce their Dubai concert and you manage to grab a ticket, there is a good chance of your flight landing at DXB in under four hours. That’s not an exaggeration. Dubai’s central position makes it easily accessible for people in the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, Turkey and East Africa.
The reason for mentioning a concert in an article focusing on sports tourism is that such events in Dubai altogether are increasingly luring thousands of tourists from across the globe. In the coming months, the numbers are expected to rise further as reputable celebrities and sporting tournaments continue to grace different stadiums and arenas in Dubai.
Why Sports Tourists Often Extend Their Trips Into Leisure Holidays
In the beginning, sports tourists are motivated by their passion for a sport. But their travel decisions are strongly influenced by accessibility, affordability, quality and overall value. In a recent poll, 63% of respondents noted their priority for fair ticket and package pricing. 41% of respondents, on the other hand, shared their openness to extending a sports-led trip into a longer leisure holiday. Basically, there is much more to sports tourism than meets the eye.
Sports tourists are playing a great role in making a destination popular. Major sporting events are encouraging deeper exploration, longer stays and stronger verbal advocacy for host locations, as per ATM research partner GSIQ. It has been found that nearly 80% of sports tourists are either returning as leisure tourists to destinations they first visited for sport or are recommending the place to others. Isn’t it incredible?
In a nutshell, sports tourism is no longer a niche segment. Sports tourists are becoming extremely important for destinations across the globe, including in the Middle East, as these people tend to spend more, stay longer and return more often compared to traditional travellers. Starting from Expo 2020 Dubai and Qatar 2022 World Cup to the upcoming 2034 FIFA World Cup in Saudi Arabia, the MENA region has been the centrepiece for some of the most high-profile events and is going to grab the spotlight in the coming years, too.
During Arabian Travel Market (ATM 2026), sports tourism is going to remain in the limelight as experts from across the globe decide the best strategies to make different destinations more alluring. Make sure to keep an eye out on this space for the latest updates.
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