Amid Burgeoning Event Tourism, A Look at Consumers' Travel Priorities

A new wave of travelers isn’t asking “where should we go?” but rather, “what’s happening when we get there?” Live events have become the new landmarks, drawing tourists to destinations to experience everything from concerts to cultural festivals to fan conventions. And in this landscape, the U.S. is set to host two marquee global sporting events in the coming years: the 2026 FIFA World Cup, taking place in multiple cities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and the 2026 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

While those events will certainly bring travelers from overseas, they’re also already attracting plenty of interest from potential attendees within the U.S. In the run-up to those events, brands must understand who event tourists are, what they prioritize, and how to attract them. 

Event tourism is on the rise as an overall trend

The popularity of event tourism is well-established. Extensive coverage of tourism for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour even birthed a new word — “Swiftonomics” — which referred to the economic bump seen in cities that hosted the tour. But major concert events aren’t the only thing driving event tourism: food and cultural festivals, sporting events and natural phenomena all spurred travel planning among U.S. adults in the past year. And while ticketed events drew numerous travelers, the most common out-of-town event spurring trip plans was a family gathering or reunion.

That said, the coming year may look a bit different. While family events are still the most common driver, the share who say they will travel for one in the coming year is 5 points less than the share who said they did so in the past 12 months. On the other hand, expected travel for ticketed events is steady or rising across the board, with the most growth occurring amongst those who said they plan to travel for a sporting event.

This bodes well for the coming U.S.-hosted World Cup and Olympics. When the survey was fielded, both were outside of the next-12-month-window, so intent is not directly captured in these numbers. But a separate question about those events specifically found that around 1 in 5 U.S. adults say they plan to attend each. 

That said, not all travelers are equally interested in these marquee events. Men are far more likely to be planning to attend than women, as are younger generations, high-earners and Hispanic and Black consumers. Notably, there is a lot of crossover between those planning on attending both events, suggesting that it may be less about the sport itself and more about an appetite to witness large-scale athletic spectacles.

These demographic differences largely mirror the splits for event travel in general: On the whole, men, younger generations and those in high-income households are more likely than their demographic counterparts to say they’re planning to travel to out-of-town events of all types.

While events inspire and drive trips, travelers add on other activities to complete the experience

Brands in the U.S. hoping to attract travelers to the World Cup, the Olympics, and myriad other events from Lollapalooza to Comic-Con will be glad to know that events are often not the sole purpose or activity for leisure trips. Only 29% of those with plans to travel to an event in the next 12 months say that the event is the only purpose of their travel. Rather, those attending out-of-town events often enhance their travel experience by adding other leisure activities to their itineraries.

For travelers in general, the most popular add-on to event travel is dining at local restaurants — 85% of adults say they do so when traveling for events. Of course, dining locally is more of a given than other more discretionary add-ons, but these numbers will still be encouraging for establishments who look forward to an event-driven tourism bump. Shopping and sightseeing follow behind as the most common discretionary activities. But there are some stark differences between different demographics of travelers when it comes to preferred activities.

First, there are some clear divides between men and women. While both tend to align on their tendency to dine out at restaurants, men are more likely than women to also seek out nightlife. Women, on the other hand, are more likely to say they spend time sightseeing.

There are also generational nuances. Younger travelers tend to be more inclined to add activities in general, with Gen Zers seeking out nightlife and entertainment while millennials prefer outdoor activities, cultural sites and breweries or other locations to enjoy alcoholic beverages. Baby boomers on the other hand are more likely to just stick to the event and not add on additional activities.

Travelers spend more on event-centric trips than standard leisure trips

Given the multiple costs associated with attending an out-of-town event and all of the extra activities, it’s logical that travelers spend more on event-related trips than other leisure trips. Overall, 37% of adults say they spend more on event travel, with 12% saying they spend “a lot” more, with only 13% saying they spend less. What’s more, certain demographics such as men, millennials and high-earners are more likely than others to say they spend more.

Tickets to events are certainly a factor in travelers’ budgets, but not the highest priority. In fact, when travelers are asked which part of their spending they prioritize most when planning to go to an out-of-town event, most (33%) say it’s accommodations. The second most-prioritized category is food and dining (21%), which is then followed by the actual tickets to the event (17%). However, this also varies by group — Gen Zers, for example, are much less worried about accommodations and more likely to prioritize event tickets and food. 

Perhaps most encouragingly for destinations associated with the coming World Cup and Olympics, travelers with plans to attend these events are much more likely than any individual demographic to say they spend more on event travel, suggesting they’ll shell out for the tickets themselves but also the rest of the trappings of a trip. Notably, these travelers are more likely to prioritize food and dining than accommodations, which signals a potential boost for restaurants and bars in these key destinations.

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