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We gotta talk about “fitness vacations” 🙂↕️
The sports tourism market is $1.4 trillion
And one of the fastest-growing segments of sports tourism? Race-cations.
Here’s what’s happening:
Post-pandemic, we started traveling for *experiences*.
Not just beach chairs. Not just sightseeing.
But movement. Challenge. Community.
Running a race in a new city? It’s a bucket list item *and* a wellness goal.
And this is wrapped up under what I would label as identity tourism — and it’s sticky.
You don’t just get a medal — you get the content, the story, the connection.
I honestly think this is an emerging opportunity for a LOT of brands to tap into - athliesure, supplements, wearables — they all get to insert themselves into your suitcase, your selfie, and your post-race recovery plan.
#fitnessvacation #brandstrategy #marketingstrategy #wellnessbrand #fitnessbrand #marathon
Transcript
Okay. I keep getting served these ads for vacation races, like marathons in Yellowstone, half marathons in Patagonia, or trail runs through Zion followed by, like, beer tastings. At worst, I thought, okay, niche. But then with deeper research, I realized this wasn't niche at all. This is a $1,400,000,000,000 sports tourism market. And one of the fastest growing segments of sports tourism, racecations. Here's what's happening. Post pandemic, we started traveling for experiences, not beach chairs, not sightseeing, but movement, challenge, and community. Running a race in a new city is a bucket list item and a wellness goal all all in one. And this is all wrapped up under what I would label as, like, identity tourism. You don't just get a medal, but you get, like, the content, the story, the connection. And the economic impact of this race tourism play is something cities are all too excited to adopt because this isn't new, right? Like the London marathon, for example, brought in £150,000,000 this year alone. The city of Miami has gone so far as to rebrand itself as the wellness destination and invest heavily in participatory sports tourism. Hotels, local businesses, tourism boards, they all benefit. And for brands, of course, this is a dream. Athleisure, supplements, and wearables all get you insert themselves in your suitcase, your selfie, and your post race recovery plan. No, yeah, vacation races sound niche, but they're actually rising to be a primary motivator for travel. Because fitness isn't something we're squeezing in between life anymore. It is life.
