Vince Nguyen, a 39-year-old entrepreneur primarily based in Vietnam, spends just a few hundred {dollars} virtually 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 develop into central to his way of life, as he performs it for two to 4 hours virtually day by 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 go to China for an upcoming match.
He says he forks out just a few hundred {dollars} on round-trip flights to Taiwan or Malaysia for tournaments and leisure play with associates. Moreover, he pays court docket 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 virtually $1,000 when touring to Canada, the place flights and indoor courts are pricier than in Asia.
“I prefer to spend per week … taking part in just a few 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 of bit completely different model” in taking part in the sport, and he’s not alone. He is among the many millennials who’re fueling a rising development in journey: sports activities tourism.
In keeping with Hilton’s 2026 Tendencies 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 concert events.
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 aren’t any indicators of sports activities tourism slowing down. The sports activities tourism business 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 development fee 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 each time 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 grew to become very therapeutic, and it put me on to some good habits … not consuming until late on Friday … giving up social smoking utterly,” he added.
He makes it some extent to play a sport of tennis when he is overseas for leisure or enterprise.
Tennis, which he deems “good in your soul,” not solely helps him unwind but additionally fulfils his social life.
“It does a bit of little bit of what going out to a pub would do for lots of people, , which is assembly individuals, assembly your mates over a drink,” he stated, however “I really feel like I can do this on the tennis court docket.”
Hitting private targets
Mike Goldys, who lives in Florida, travels to surf abroad with a purpose of taking part in in as many various surf parks as potential. The 39-year-old has logged 140 hours thus far throughout 26 cities in 10 nations.
“Every surf park … may be very distinctive for me. I … simply cannot get sufficient of it, he stated. “I wish to hold checking them off and seeing what this one was like on this state.”
“I hardly ever 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 pictures 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 good condition… a strategy to speed up progress,” he stated. “[It’s] very fast for somebody who would not have the proper 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 would not put you in a foul place afterwards financially,” he stated.
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