Is Sports Tourism India's Next Big Bet?

During F1 season, Monaco turns its seaside streets into a theatre where superyachts line the harbor and the city hums in electric rhythm; Melbourne’s Boxing Day Test becomes a summer tradition that spills beyond the MCG into Yarra Park festivals and packed cafés; and the New York Marathon turns an entire metropolis into a moving celebration with more than 50,000 runners and 2 million spectators weaving through five boroughs. These events are competitions, yes but also identity. They merge sport with place, transforming cities into stages of global tourism. 

Now imagine an Indian version of this—winter games in Gulmarg that blend Himalayan adventure with Kashmiri craft and cuisine; or a Chennai test week that pairs the buzz of stadium crowds with the calm of Coromandel beaches. India has every raw ingredient of a sports-tourism powerhouse, geography, diversity, and emotion, but hasn’t yet turned the potential into a cohesive experience. 

Sports Tourism's Untapped Potential in India 

According to the KPMG report, India's sports tourism market is expected to reach USD 52.9 billion by 2033, growing at over 17% annually. Yet, most of that growth remains event-driven rather than experience-led. While cities like Monaco and Singapore turn a race into a cultural event, India's sport tourism still needs to imbue sport with local stories, culture, and leisure activities. 

India's massive government initiatives around sports offer a powerful foundation to evolve this sector beyond stadium seats. The Khelo India programme, launched with the Youth Games in 2018 and expanded since, has received a record allocation of ₹3,442 crores for sports development in 2024-25. This initiative aims at grassroots development by establishing 1,000 Khelo India Centres across districts, democratizing access to sports facilities in tier-2 and tier-3 cities.

As young athletes train in cities like Jaipur or Ranchi, these places can evolve into vibrant sports tourism destinations, hosting regional events that organically attract visitors and tourism revenue. Visitors attending regional sporting events can combine their trip with cultural exploration, heritage tours, or nature-based experiences, creating richer, multi-dimensional travel itineraries that extend their stay and spending. 

Similarly, India’s track record of hosting major international events showcases the latent tourism potential. The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup brought over 1.3 million spectators across six cities, raising India's profile as a host nation and delivering economic benefits to local businesses. The Pro Kabaddi League, with its caravan format that brings the game directly to fans across multiple cities, shows how multi-city sports tours can distribute tourism benefits broadly, increasing hotel demand and ancillary spending. 

India’s maiden MotoGP event at the Buddh International Circuit in Noida in September 2023 marked a historic moment, attracting over 110,000 attendees and generating economic activity exceeding ₹500 crores. While the race itself was technically applauded, the broader event experience reflected room for growth in sports tourism packaging and fan engagement. 

India could learn from how destinations like Monaco and Singapore elevate their Formula 1 weekends into grand tourism festivals. These locations integrate luxury hospitality, exclusive fan zones, cultural performances, gourmet dining, and curated off-track excursions, turning a race into a multi-day celebration. For future MotoGP and other international sports events in India, creating analogous tourism packages that seamlessly blend live competition with local culture, premium hospitality, and engaging fan experiences could dramatically uplift attendance, visitor satisfaction, and tourism revenues. 

The Kashmir Marathon 

Kashmir appears to be unlocking remarkable potential in sports tourism with the success of the Kashmir Marathon. The Kashmir Marathon, scheduled for November 2, 2025, brilliantly exemplifies India’s growing sports tourism potential. Drawing participants from 21 Indian states and five countries, it showcases the region’s accessibility, appeal, and organizational ability. The marathon route winds through iconic natural and cultural landmarks like Dal Lake, the Zabarwan mountains, and Mughal Gardens, transforming the race into a holistic experience of scenic beauty and cultural immersion. 

By attracting both serious athletes and tourists seeking unique experiences, the marathon simultaneously boosts local hospitality sectors, including hotels, restaurants, and transport, underscoring how sports can drive inclusive regional economic growth. Importantly, the event’s safety and crowd management protocols build confidence among international visitors, positioning Kashmir as an emerging sports tourism destination. 

Beyond Kashmir, southern and western India are nurturing niche adventure sports tourism with activities like rock climbing in Karnataka, water sports in Goa, and trekking in Maharashtra’s Western Ghats. The integration of wellness tourism, combining yoga retreats with hiking or paragliding,  is creating attractive packages for health-conscious global travelers. 

The Missing Link: Strategy, Story, and Scale 

The Future Market Insights report (2025) highlights a key gap in India: a fragmented ecosystem that excels in hosting events but not in curating experiences. Cricket alone accounts for more than 65% of India’s sports tourists, followed by motorsports, adventure, and nostalgia-driven travel. And yet, the “fan travel economy” — the segments of spectators who extend their stay for culture, cuisine, or leisure — remains underdeveloped. With India’s National Sports Policy 2025 now recognizing sports as a tourism driver, the country could finally bridge that gap through integrated itineraries, cross-brand partnerships, and AI-powered fan engagement systems. 

Imagine this through a marketer’s lens. A travel brand collaborates with franchises like the IPL or ISL, offering immersive travel trails where one ticket gives you the Bengaluru match, local brews, and a guided vintage-walk. Hospitality chains can create “match week staycations” paired with wellness add-ons, music nights, or micro-festivals. Technology becomes a key channel where AI-personalized itineraries, VR-based stadium tours, and blockchain ticketing can elevate both convenience and engagement. 

The goal isn’t to replicate Monaco’s glamour or New York’s marathon scale but to Indianize the idea, crafting emotional, place-based experiences that connect sport to community. 

For brands ders across hospitality, transportation, event management, and local businesses, sports tourism presents tangible opportunities. The sector's growth creates demand for services ranging from budget accommodations to luxury experiences, from local transportation to premium hospitality packages. 

India's path forward requires sustained commitment. Infrastructure development must continue, but with focus on execution and quality, not just announcements. Sustainability challenges need honest assessment and systematic solutions. Accessibility should expand so sports tourism benefits broader demographics, not just affluent travelers. 

To start tapping into this vibrant scene, platforms like Zupotsu provide cutting-edge tools for marketers to engage sports fans and communities effectively, making pickleball marketing initiatives smarter and more impactful.  

Zupotsu is a martech platform on a mission to ‘digitize’ sports marketing. Zupotsu enables the discovery, engagement, and evaluation (the ‘DEE’ framework) for every sports and esports marketing asset. Please sign up at www.zupotsu.com. Follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram. Reach out at ‘marketing@zupotsu.com’ for any queries.