Contemporary sports tourism no longer revolves solely around events or competitions. Increasingly, sport becomes a narrative language for destinations, a tool for place branding and a lever for urban regeneration.
Football, the Olympics and major international competitions now coexist with more widespread and accessible forms of active tourism, blending outdoor activities, lifestyle, culture and sustainability.
In this context, sport turns into an extended experience, capable of engaging travellers before, during and after the event, generating off-season flows and fostering a deeper relationship with places. Football continues to act as a global catalyst: this year marks the World Cup, hosted for the first time across three countries – Canada, the United States and Mexico – drawing major flows to North America.
Iconic stadiums such as the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, Wembley in London, the Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro or San Siro in Milan are also powerful experiential tourism attractors, as are legendary rivalries like El Clásico between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona or the Derby della Madonnina between Milan and Inter.
These factors turn fans – and not only fans – into travellers, generating significant spillover effects for hospitality, food & beverage and merchandising. Suffice it to say that the most recent Clásico drew over 81,000 spectators to the Santiago Bernabéu, many arriving in Madrid with friends or family, for an economic impact estimated by Datapowa at over EUR 60 million in a single evening, not counting the 650 million television viewers worldwide.
And football is not the only story. In Italy, tennis has effectively become a national sport. This is confirmed by the historic overtaking of revenues generated by the respective federations: over EUR 230 million for the FITP, compared with around EUR 200 million for the FIGC.
This success is driven by a stable that includes three Italians in the world top ten (Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti in the ATP rankings, and Jasmine Paolini in the WTA), as well as three consecutive Davis Cups and two Billie Jean King Cups, with the Davis Final 8 staged in Bologna.
Added to these are the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin and the Italian Open in Rome, which in 2025 set an all-time attendance record with over 360,000 tickets sold.
Destinations telling their story through sport
Within this landscape, some destinations have successfully turned sport into a strategic positioning lever.
Poland, Destination Partner of BIT 2026, is an emblematic case of integrated and sustainable sports tourism.
The country has developed an offer that combines outdoor sports, nature and territories, from winter sports in the Tatra Mountains to activities in the Carpathians, through to cycle tourism, with four major EuroVelo routes and regional networks such as Velo Małopolska.
Immersive experiences that will be presented in a direct and engaging way at BIT 2026, also thanks to the presence of well-known Polish athletes..
In Italy, Lombardy stands out as one of the most advanced laboratories for sports tourism. Alongside major events, the region has developed a model that weaves together sport, soft mobility and public policy.
Cycle tourism, with projects such as the VENTO Cycle Route and initiatives like Enjoy Stelvio Valtellina, helps diversify the offer and reduce seasonality.
This year’s highlight will be the Milan Cortina Olympic Games, but winter sports have long been a cornerstone in Lombardy: a recent Holidu ranking confirms this, with three Lombard ski resorts – Livigno, Bormio and Madesimo – among the most popular with Italian travellers.
Alongside these success stories, the international scenario shows how sports tourism takes different yet converging forms.
The Dominican Republic broadens its image beyond beach tourism through water sports such as surfing and kitesurfing, hiking in inland areas and a high-level golf offer.
Thailand integrates sports tourism into a narrative centred on wellbeing, nature and sustainability, while the United States confirms sport as a key element of major events, outdoor experiences and territorial storytelling, from natural parks to sporting and cultural fixtures.
Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games: an accelerator for sports tourism
One of the most eagerly awaited events of 2026 is undoubtedly the Milan Cortina Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games: not only a major media event, but a true multiplier of economic, tourism and infrastructural impacts.
A Banca Ifis study from December 2025 estimates the overall economic impact of the Games at EUR 5.3 billion, broken down into EUR 1.1 billion in direct spending during the event, EUR 1.2 billion in the immediate post-event period, and EUR 3 billion in long-term value linked to infrastructure and tourism promotion. Around 14,000 new jobs are also expected to be created.
Total infrastructure investments amount to EUR 3.5 billion, of which only 13% is directly linked to the competitions, while the remainder is allocated to mobility, urban regeneration and permanent projects, according to analyses also cited by Legambiente.
At a territorial level, Lombardy concentrates investments of over EUR 2.4 billion, largely funded by the State and the Region, strengthening its role as a logistical and tourism hub.
Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige, according to a joint study by Ca’ Foscari University and Unioncamere, record investments and operating costs of EUR 1.124 billion, with an estimated production value of EUR 1.46 billion and around 13,800 jobs generated in the provinces involved.
Overall, the Games thus become a system-wide project, capable of reshaping Alpine and urban tourism through a legacy-oriented and sustainable approach.
Within this framework, BIT 2026 positions itself as a professional platform where content and market converge.
The Travel Makers Fest offers interpretative keys and visions on sports and open-air tourism, while the exhibition pathway completes the experience by showcasing concrete proposals from destinations and operators.
A continuous dialogue between inspiration and supply that makes BIT a hub for discussion, networking and development, where sport becomes a strategic lever for designing the tourism of tomorrow.
The appointment with BIT 2026 and the Travel Makers Fest is at Fiera Milano, from Tuesday 10 to Thursday 12 February.
BIT 2026 addresses a central question for a rapidly evolving travel industry: what does today’s travel sector need to create value? The event offers a professional platform where the industry meets not only to do business but to build meaningful content, networks, and insights.
By integrating networking, knowledge-sharing, and an exhibition, BIT seeks to generate value across the tourism supply chain, connecting operators, destinations, institutions, and new professional profiles—the community of Travel Makers: all those who design, tell, develop, and experience travel through skills, ideas, stories, and narratives.
The Travel Makers Fest is the cultural heart of BIT, a format of talks and discussions exploring tourism as a complex ecosystem where sustainability, mobility, culture, technology, and events intersect. Experts, academics, and industry leaders engage in dialogue on trends and case studies, creating shared value before, during, and after the event.
