Escapia x Key Data: Sports Tourism in 2026

Sports Tourism as a vacation rental industry trend refers to an industry of travel, stays, and activities that revolve around a fans passion for sports., either as a player or a spectator. The trend isn't new either - the UN Tourism board has already recognized that Sports Tourism is contributing around 10% of the world's tourism expenditures! 

Sports and Tourism have always been interlocked. Fans, Parents, and staff frequently travel to games away and at home, providing business to the local economy. But that desire is only growing in 2025-26 as major international competitions head to the United States, bringing waves of international travelers from abroad to hotels and vacation rentals in cities large and small!

To show an example of how even a single major game can change the landscape for vacation rental property management companies, Taylor Berry at Key Data highlights their findings from the upcoming 2026 World Cup.

Looking at the World Cup's impact on regional demand for vacation rentals, the post-schedule release demand was concentrated, of course, in a small set of breakout markets. Those cities and regions announced experienced a flux of immediate bookings by fans excited to see teams play across Kansas City, Philadelphia, Boston, Guadalajara, and the NY metro compared to the previous year. An interesting thing to note is that some of these cities may not have been typically "popular" vacation destinations - they experienced an up to 82% jump in YoY demand for that time frame!

While success may be viewed strictly in terms of ADR, performance boosts for this World Cup's schedule release bookings are primarily in volume, not price. NRPP growth dwarfs ADR growth outside of some outliers, indicating strong booking velocity. Changing price alone in response to game schedule and location announcements may actually hurt you more than help you, as other vacation rentals in the region may seem more attractive for their lower price.

As expected for World Cup city-related performance, an important note is that West Coast destinations are seeing smaller surges for the World cup games. The West Coast has been seeing inferior match schedules and no semi-final or final matches. An additional consideration may be demographics based - many world cup fans travel from abroad, where East Coast cities are a shorter and more convenient flight, and soccer fan bases in the US remain more concentrated in Eastern metro regions.

An additional trend to observe for the World Cup lies in shortened stays. Rather than fewer long bookings, travelers are making more stays for a shorter period - those fans willing to travel to see games may travel more often to see all the games they love. This can put an emphasis on cleaner turnover and preparedness for gap-filler stays!

To recap, the World Cup highlights some important trends in Sports Tourism for vacation rental property managers in 2026:

• Optimize for conversion rate and availability, not just rates
• Market divergence highlights the impact that game location can have - the tide may not lift all boats

Of course, the World Cup represents only the most macro-level experience for sports fans. From the World Cup to under 12 soccer tournaments, the opportunity to grow your bookings is at your feet.

Guests around the world are more likely than ever to travel to see their favorite (or potentially new favorite) teams face off.

Sports Tourism as a vacation rental industry trend is set to explode in the next few years, with a projected worth in the global market of $1.3 Trillion! The question isn't if these diverse fans are coming to your city - it's whether or nto your team is agile enough to capture their interest.

Seeing this trend in greater detail, Expedia Group commissioned a survey with Censuswide globally. We'll break into the findings and see trends that can positively impact your business and bookings strategy!

It's always easy to see the impact of big national games, but don't be discouraged if the Super Bowl isn't coming to your city. 57% of travelers are likely to attend a local sporting event during their trip, with marathons, hockey games, local baseball teams, and other opportunities representing big draws for travelers. When building out your booking strategy, it's important to recognize that regional and local events can play a part.

In fact, Expedia Group's findings in Unpack 2026 saw a 100% increase in local sports experiences across social media, and a 180% increase in regional sports mentions! It's impossible to ignore the fact that community of sports is emerging from the global to the local, and that will be an important strategy for PMs looking to compete in a larger market.

Of course, there's many reasons people travel, but in a survey of sports travelers around the world, Expedia Group has seen some impressive stats for your business. For fans traveling for a game, 62% of them are aiming for longer stays between 2-6 days to enjoy the city around them. In fact, so many of those trips prove entertaining that 84% are already planning their next stay! This is a great opportunity for you to mention in your re-booking strategy, particularly if you know that a recurring regional or local sporting activity is present in your area.

Of course, to know your travelers, you should know your market. Two standouts remain global powerhouses for Sports Tourism in Soccer and American Football. But basketball, baseball, and other sports continue to drive travelers to see their favorite teams play! And for those present around football both local and global, 24% of American sports travel is related to football games.

An interesting and often unnoticed trend is that sports trips are often about more than the event itself - they're an opportunity to enjoy bonding with family, friends, and loved ones. Most respondents in the survey attended their last sporting event with freinds (35%), partners (34%), or family (33%), emphasizing the social nature of their stays. For those with larger sized or multi-bedroom homes, you can benefit the most from these travel trends!

So, what can you do to leverage this trend? We provide several opportunities and pieces of advice for those looking to grow their bookings on Vrbo and other OTAs.

• Win with content: Guests are looking for information on activities, tips on how to go to their favorite game, and actionable advice. Be ready to provide help to those who travel for a game on how you can best maximize their enjoyment of the experience!
• Own the seasons: With Escapia's seasonal specials or coupon codes tools in our Rates Manager, you can plan ahead for regular game seasons by placing lower pricing on set days or events. Stay ahead of competitors with event-specific codes!
• Stand out with promotions: Guests may plan early, late, or upon announcement, so be sure to utilize Vrbo promotions to appear with special badging on Vrbo to grow your bookings and highlight limited time deals for high-value guests.
• Win on relevance: Content with proximity to local youth sporting events wins, so be sure to highlight distance or communicate advantages to your area in transit to games.
• Score review points: Guests are always looking to reviews to help decide their stay. Build social proof by celebrating the event and earn rave reviews that mention the game to help you stand out next season!
• Capture more demand: Last minute deals can be an powerful opportunity for the dedicated fan - if they find themselves suddenly available to attend, you can capture their booking.

Of course, it's also important that your stay represents what they're looking for. Highlight stadiums or fields in your listing title, add walk distance to major games in descriptions, and decorate your stay with representations of the sport to attract those fans looking for the greatest Sports Tourism experience!

To recap our findings:

• Understand Macro Trends, as Sports Tourism represents a possible $1.3 Trillion dollar opportunity for travel providers across major events and niche culture specific sports
• Dig into the local details as each event has unique demand patters
• Take action by leveraging the tools and features Escapia provides to make your listing relevant to key sports moments and attractions

Sources

• Key Data Dashboard
• Expedia Group: "New Study: How to win big in Sports Tourism"