Vince Nguyen, a 39-year-old entrepreneur primarily based in Vietnam, spends a number of hundred {dollars} nearly each month touring to different nations to play pickleball.
The game, which started as a pastime after he injured himself in American soccer, has since turn out to be central to his life-style, as he performs it for two to 4 hours nearly each day.
Since he picked up the game two years in the past, Nguyen has performed leisurely in Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and Canada. Subsequent month, he’s planning to move to China for an upcoming match.
He says he forks out a number of hundred {dollars} on round-trip flights to Taiwan or Malaysia for tournaments and leisure play with pals. Moreover, he pays courtroom charges starting from $4 to $8 for open play and about $38 an evening for resorts. In whole, the journeys value him between $386 and $772.
Nevertheless, he spends nearly $1,000 when touring to Canada, the place flights and indoor courts are pricier than in Asia.
“I prefer to spend per week … enjoying a number of occasions, testing completely different courts, going to completely different eating places,” he stated.
Vince Nguyen (prime proper) at a pickleball match in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.
Supply: Vince Nguyen
Nguyen believes touring to play pickleball makes a distinction as “each nation has a bit bit completely different model” in enjoying the sport, and he’s not alone. He is among the many millennials who’re fueling a rising pattern in journey: sports activities tourism.
In keeping with Hilton’s 2026 Traits Report, which polled over 14,000 vacationers throughout 14 nations, about 67% of millennials have deliberate a visit for occasions associated to their pursuits, together with sports activities, wellness and live shows.
Within the U.S. alone, millennials are 80% extra more likely to plan a trip for tennis and 87% for pickleball, in line with a survey by on-line journey company Priceline on journey traits in 2025.
And there are not any indicators of sports activities tourism slowing down. The sports activities tourism trade is already a $707.29 billion market and is forecasted to just about triple by 2032, in line with Fortune Enterprise Insights.
Europe leads the market with a valuation of $248.23 billion final yr. In the meantime, Asia-Pacific has been marked the fastest-growing area, anticipated to be price $149.50 billion in 2025.
Sports activities tourism in Asia-Pacific is projected to have a compound annual progress charge of 17.85% from 2025 to 2032.
“Good in your soul”
One other millennial, 35-year-old Nirbhay Handa, who is predicated in Singapore, additionally travels overseas for tennis.
“I will go to a tennis camp in Phuket … after I journey to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, I’ve a tennis coach that I simply go and play with within the evenings after work,” he stated. “I believe this makes me higher at work, as a result of I am in a greater temper,” the entrepreneur stated.
He may also deliver his tennis racket with him at any time when he travels for enterprise or leisure. He stated he has spent round $200 per week on tennis classes in Dubai.
Handa stated that the game is greater than a passion to him. “It simply turned very therapeutic, and it put me on to some good habits … not consuming until late on Friday … giving up social smoking fully,” he added.
He makes it a degree to play a recreation of tennis when he is overseas for leisure or enterprise.
Tennis, which he deems “good in your soul,” not solely helps him unwind but in addition fulfils his social life.
“It does a bit little bit of what going out to a pub would do for lots of people, you understand, which is assembly folks, assembly your pals over a drink,” he stated, however “I really feel like I can try this on the tennis courtroom.”
Hitting private targets
Mike Goldys, who lives in Florida, travels to surf abroad with a objective of enjoying in as many alternative surf parks as potential. The 39-year-old has logged 140 hours up to now throughout 26 cities in 10 nations.
“Every surf park … could be very distinctive for me. I … simply cannot get sufficient of it, he stated. “I wish to preserve checking them off and seeing what this one was like on this state.”
“I not often return to the identical wave pool twice,” he added.
Goldys has spent $18,500 on surf classes alone, budgeting $6000 to $10,000 per journey relying on flights and lodging, he stated. He additionally units apart cash for images and videography to share on social platforms.
Mike Goldys browsing on the Atlantic Park Surf in Virginia Seaside, USA.
Supply: Andrew Tonra
As a social media strategist at a non-profit group, he takes one to 2 weeks off for browsing journeys — solely tending to work issues for emergencies.
“While you pay to surf in a wave pool you are assured waves that they are actually highly effective and like fine condition… a strategy to speed up progress,” he stated. “[It’s] very fast for somebody who does not have the right waves on a regular basis” close to his residence in Florida.
At $170 an hour, surf parks aren’t low cost. However Goldys insists they’re price it.
“So long as it does not put you in a foul place afterwards financially,” he stated.
