India Sports Tourism Market

India Sports Tourism Market Outlook (2023 to 2033)

India’s sports tourism market which currently values at US$ 10,870.41 million, is expected to surge at an incredible CAGR of 17.1% and is predicted to be valued at US$ 52,967 million during the forecast period, as analyzed by the experts in Future Market Insights.

An increase in Franchise games coupled with increasing involvement by the government to develop the infrastructure is expected to drive the Indian sports tourism market.

There are big mainstream tour operators who set up a separate division to tap the potential of Sports Tourism. A new concept in India about a decade ago, Sports Tourism, has developed rapidly over the past five years. A large number of agents and tour operators are introducing interesting packages surrounding major sporting events. This is expected to have a positive impact on India's sports tourism market trends.

Attribute	Details
India Sports Tourism Market Size (2023)	US$ 10870.41 Million
Anticipated India Sports Tourism Market Size (2033)	US$ 52967 Million
India Sports Tourism Market Expected CAGR (2023 to 2033)	17.1%

A holiday with family and friends to spectate a mega sporting event is no longer an alien concept for Indian travelers. Today, sporting fanatics across the world are willing to spend to set across India to experience the thrill and excitement of watching their favorite game live.

Sports the travel industry is seeing a significant percentage of development as people across the world are indicating more eagerness for visiting a nation to go to the occasion of the games, as indicated by industry specialists. Internationally sports and the travel industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry.

The principal love for Indians is cricket and they travel to watch the amusement, regardless of whether in India or abroad. There has additionally been a move in the enthusiasm for other wearing occasions like Hockey tournaments and Kabaddi tournaments which are regularly organized in India.

The government is taking important steps to ensure that India's sports tourism key trends and opportunities are likely to improve with the passage of time.

What are the Key Drivers Impacting the India Sports Tourism Market?

Mega and small-scale sports tourism have the prospective to contribute to the social, economic, and infrastructural development and culture of the hosting country or city. Sports tourism involves the travel of persons for non-business reasons to participate in and or observe sporting activities.

Sports tourism involves several activities. In addition to both participating and observing the sporting events, people who travel for sports tourism may also have a conferred interest in visiting state-of-the-art sporting facilities such as stadiums. For example; Narendra Modi Stadium is the largest stadium in India with a capacity of 132,000 and the second largest in the world behind the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, which has a capacity of 150,000. This is anticipated to change the perception of the Indian sports tourism market outlook for good in the future.

Mega sporting events provide a platform to incorporate social and cultural features of the host community/city/country into the overall tourist experience. These events are good occasions to showcase the cultural heritage of the country such as its history, historical sites, food, music, art, architecture, and overall what makes the host country unique and interesting to want to return to in the immediate future.

Sports tourism provides the host country with high media coverage. This coverage will cover not only the sporting event but also provide important information about the country’s cultural and entertainment locations as well as an overall country profile. Consequently, the Indian sports tourism market trends are expected to see an upward curve.

Mega and small sporting events not only offer athletes and officials occasions to establish strong social bonds but also permit sports tourists the chance to bind long-lasting social connections with people from host countries and cities. These bonds have the potential to result in future travels between countries and so deepening the benefits of tourism.

Over the past decade, there has been the inception of league games like IPL, ISL, PKL, etc. All these leagues have not only contributed towards increasing followers pertaining to these games but there has been an influx of both domestic and overseas tourists. This might well expand the demand for Indian sports tourism.

What are some of the challenges experienced by the India Sports Tourism Market?

Apart from cricket, people are not willing to participate much in other sports-related activities. This is something that has to contemplate by the stakeholders, and they need to come up with better ideas.

There are no proper infrastructures available for other sports like skiing, surfing, cycling, etc. This means that the Indian sports tourism market is losing a place, where it has the potential to make lots of money because of the diverse geography.

Technology has definitely been a boon in the current times. But technology has also been responsible for developing online games, and these online games have gone stronger, especially after Covid 19 pandemic, and this has not been a very good indication for the Indian sports tourism market.

What are the Recent Trends observed in the India Sports Tourism Market?

Equally important in making it possible for sports tourism to expand to a more extensive cross-section of the population are the recent innovations in technology. The best example of this new technology is illustrated by new methods of transportation.

With the invention of automobiles and air travel in the past century, individuals have been able to move to various locations to take part in these sports tourism activities.

With the creation of these new transportation methods, people began to require accommodations away from their homes. This led to the immense development of numerous motels, hotels, and inns. In addition to the vital role that transportation and accommodation played in the increased popularity of sports tourism, innovations in media technology also aided in the development.

The development of online games like Dream 11, MPL, etc. have ensured that people remain hooked to such games because of which they win huge amounts. This is expected to be a major driver for India's sports tourism market share.

How does the development of cities help in boosting the India Sports Tourism Market?

The future of sports tourism and adventure sports in India is very bright. The scope and future of sports tourism are not going to end in India because of its diverse topography and climatic condition. You can enjoy on land and water, underwater and in the air whatsoever form of adventure sports in India.

Low-cost regional airway services and added affordable long-haul flights are also in demand for sporting events as flights become more suitable and more reasonable.

Though, sports event organizers and state tourism boards in India must increase their investment in other metro cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. With thriving interest among Indian sports fans to explore their interests in different sports fields, and various National Tourism Organizations (NTO) across the world promoting tie-ups with Indian tour operators, there are sufficient resources for India to emerge as a Sports tourism destination and boost overall tourism in the country. It only needs to be utilized efficiently to gain significant benefits.

There are a number of tourists who visit the entire city where the tournament is conducted. For the development of these cities, the government has come up with plans like AMRUT and JNNRUM, which specifically focus on the further development of the cities. More development would mean more visitors to a particular place.

Therefore, through sports tourism, even the growth prospects for national tourism would increase.

Role of government in developing India Sports Tourism Market

The government has been actively taking steps to improve sports tourism in India for the last 5 years. Be its infrastructure development, allocation of funds, etc. the government has been involved in taking most of the right steps to see to it that the Indian sports market size increases in the coming future. Some of them include:

• Increasing the sports budget from Rs 702 crores in 2014 to 2015 to Rs 2216 crores in 2019 to 2020.
• Encouraging towards inculcating a culture of sports right from the school level by launching Urban Sports Infrastructure Scheme and Khelo India Scheme.
• Launched a National Sports Talent Search System in 2015, which provides financial assistance to state governments to identify and nurture prospective athletes between the age of 8 and 12.

How is the Start-up Space Acing in the India Sports Tourism Market?

With life returning to normalcy after each passing day, and customers willing to spend large bucks to enjoy some quality time, the start-up ecosystem of the Indian sports tourism market is doing everything it can to provide visitors with the best experience.

The start-ups are looking at ways to amalgamate sports tourism with regional tourism. In this way, the tourists will get to see the sports during the scheduled time, and during other times they will be having an itinerary and will visit the places as per their interest. This is well expected to increase the demand for Indian sports tourism.

Category-wise Insights

What Type of Booking Channel is the Most Prominent in the India Sports Tourism Market?

Online Booking is More Preferred by Sports Tourists

Sports Tourism has grown in popularity as a result of its performance throughout the period with which it can be booked and made available through online platforms. Tourists prefer to use an online booking or mobile application platform since it provides for a direct, hassle-free digital transaction, as well as quick tracking and enhanced security.

Travelers may use the internet to search for and compare information on vacation locations, accommodations, dinners, and other aspects, making online booking a more popular approach around the world.

What Tour Type is More Preferred by the Sports-based Tourist in Indian Sports Tourism Market?

Package Travel is Mostly Preferred by the Consumers

As for tour type, package travel is regularly chosen by the tourist as the tour operators offer numerous package travel tours by even offering customization in the tours. Whereas in the package tours, the operators even provide some services which are not been included in other types such as accommodations, heavy discounts on package tours, etc.

Which Sport is Popular and Viewed the Most in India?

Cricket is not just a Game but a Part of Life for Indians, and is, Therefore, the Most Popular and Viewed Sport in India

Cricket has been the most popular sport in India, the country has hosted and won the Cricket World Cup on multiple occasions. India is home to many different kinds of passions and obsessions. Cricket can be labeled the belief of the country in terms of the pure fascination and fame it manages to generate. The Indian Premier League (IPL), a professional Twenty-20 cricket competition, is currently the most-attended cricket league in the world.

Which Tourism Type is the Most Preferred in the India Sports Tourism Market?

Foreign Sports Tourists are Preferring Active Sports Tourism in India

Based on the sports tourism type, active sports tourism holds the maximum share of the total market. But recently Indian Government started promoting nostalgic-based sports like kabaddi, jallikattu, tug of war, etc. which are considered a new trend among foreign tourists although the number of visitors is low but tremendously increasing.

Growth can be attributed to a growing preference among millennials, and younger adults as they prefer watching popular games known, and nowadays old generations prefer nostalgic-based game events. Active sports also include sports events that attract huge crowds from around the world.

Which Customer Segment has the Highest Market Share based on the Consumer Orientation in India Sports Tourism Market?

Based on consumer segmentation, men currently have the highest market share. However, the increasing involvement of women in sports is expected to show some changes in the future. Moreover, authorities across the world focusing on activities like women empowerment and working on related schemes to encourage increased participation of women in sports and various other fields might bring some change in the trends.

An exponential increase in the women workforce as well is expected to have a profound impact on this segment in the future.

Based on the Tourist Type, which segment of India Sports Tourism Market has the Highest Market Share?

Based on the tourist type, domestic tourists have the largest market size. The reason is relatively affordable prices for traveling and having better knowledge about the landscape. Moreover, the ability to converse in the required language is something that has led to a higher market share of domestic tourists.

Domestic travelers will be able to carry out the transaction process much easier as compared to foreign travelers. This ensures seamless activity being carried out at every possible step. Ultimately, people who are much more aware of a place will be able to better manage things.

Which Age-Group has the Highest India Sports Tourism Market Share?

The age group of 26-35 has the highest market share. The reason this is the age group that represents a blend of someone who wants to travel and someone who is capable enough to take up his own responsibility. Moreover, people in this age group form the major chunk of the ones who consume content from the internet and use it for various purposes. Thus, they are the ones who book tickets for themselves and their family members in the majority of cases.

Competitive Landscape

Leading players operating in India and other country-based companies operating in India are focusing on expanding their businesses. Apart from that, the major players are looking at ways to enter into exciting collaborations with some major players in the hospitality industry to provide customer delight.

Some of the recent developments are:

• In May 2023, Sankash, one of the fastest-growing Indian travel fintech, announced its partnership with Fanatic Sports, a leading provider of sports tickets, hospitality, and experiential travel worldwide. The partnership is aimed at providing customers with an affordable and seamless experience for the biggest sporting events in the world.
• On June 20, 2023, ITW UXP, a vertical of ITW Consulting focused on sports travel and experiential experiences, announces a partnership with Club Vistara. Sporting events and experiences within and outside the country will be made more accessible through the partnership. ITW UXP will create sports-themed packages for travelers as the airline's retail and lifestyle partner. Aside from tickets to events, airport transfers, hotel rooms, sightseeing, stadium tours, athlete interactions, travelers can try golf, surfing, diving themselves and more as the retail and lifestyle partner.

Scope of the Report

Attribute	Details
Market Size Value in 2023	US$ 10,870.41 million
Market Forecast Value in 2033	US$ 52,967 million
Global Growth Rate	17.1% CAGR
Forecast Period	2023 to 2033
Historical Data Available for	2018 to 2022
Market Analysis	MT for Volume and US$ million for Value
Kay Segments Covered	Sports Type Sports Tourism Type Consumer Orientation Booking Channel Tourist Type Tour type Region
Key Companies Profiles	Sports Travel Expedia Sports Connect Fanatic Sports Melsh Sports Tours Ananta Group Thomas Cook La Vacanza Travel Pvt. Ltd. Leisure Sports Travel travel sports World Sports Travels Sports Tour Packages Adventures365.in Adventure Nation Trekking in India The Great Next - Adventure Tours India Boats
Customization & Pricing	Available Upon Request

Key Segments Covered in the India Sports Tourism Survey

By Sports Type:

• Football/Soccer
• Cricket
• Motorsports
• Basketball
• Others

By Sports Tourism Type:

• Sports Event Tourism
• Nostalgia Sports Tourism
• Active Sports Tourism
• Passive Sports Tourism

By Consumer Orientation:

• Men
• Women
• Children

By Booking Channel:

• Phone Booking
• Online Booking
• In-Person Booking

By Tourist Type:

• Domestic
• International

By Tour Type:

• Independent Traveler
• Tour Group
• Package Traveler

By Age Group:

• 15-25 Years
• 26-35 Years
• 36-45 Years
• 46-55 Years
• 66-75 Years

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Countries Dominate the Global Market in India Sports Tourism?

India, China, and the United States dominate the global sports tourism market.

What is the Growth Forecast for the India Sports Tourism Market?

The market is forecast to register a CAGR of 17.1% through 2033.

How is the Historical Performance of the Market?

During 2018 to 2022, the market recorded a CAGR of 15%.

Which is the Top Trend in the India Sports Tourism Market?

The increasing popularity of franchise sports leagues.

What is the Projected Size of the Market by 2033?

The India sports tourism market is projected to reach US$ 52,967 million by 2033.