News and Insights
On With the Show
November 19, 2024
As fun as it was watching Tay cheer on Trav during the Kansas City Chiefs’ march to victory in Super Bowl LVIII earlier this year, televised imagery isn’t always enough for rabid followers of entertainment and sports. No surprise then, that “gig tripping” and “sports tourism” have become major league travel trends, with hotels, destinations and travel services getting in the mix and investing in something that seems here to stay.
“Although her songs are impactful, Swift is an economic tour de force, too,” explained Fortune back in May, noting that Taylor’s Eras Tour, which debuted at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, in March 2023, shattered records as the highest-grossing tour in history. Every city she performed in saw a boost in business, whether from retail, food and beverage, or hotel room sales.”
Super-sized sporting events have similar impact: In February 2023, when the Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII at the same stadium, the local hotel industry hit the second-highest ADR and RevPAR for a host market, according to the CoStar hospitality analytics firm STR. Fandom goes beyond sports, too: Last year’s craze of “set-jetting” remains strong, with Expedia’s Unpack ’24 trend report finding more than half of travelers surveyed either researched or booked a trip to a destination after seeing it on TV or in a movie.
Destinations must step up to draw such travelers. Take Virginia Beach, a popular oceanfront setting for more than a century that has broadened visitation beyond sun worshipers and seasonal partiers by doubling down on music and adventure sports. Neptune City’s cultural calendar now boasts music festivals spotlighting stars of pop, R&B, reggae and country, while 38 miles of sun-kissed shoreline hosts sports spectacles from the North American Sand Soccer Championships, to the Jackalope Festival showcasing everything from skateboarding to BASE jumping, and the 62nd Annual East Coast Surfing Championships, the original and oldest competition of its kind.
“Virginia Beach has really gotten behind the transformation and attracted a lot of investment from event producers offering crowd-pleasing experiences for people to enjoy responsibly,” said Robin Magrisi, vice president, who oversees the account for FINN Partners. Magrisi points to Pharrell Williams, a native son of Virginia Beach and Men’s Creative Director for Louis Vuitton, whose recurring Something In The Water Festival is scheduled for April 2025. “Pharrell brought the idea directly to city planners, and his music buddies jumped in to offer something special to do that complemented a day on the beach.”
Among luxury travel providers that have taken a hint is Seabourn. This past spring, the ultra-luxury cruise line introduced ‘The Collection,’ a series of exclusive sailings featuring one-of-a-kind shoreside experiences such as sporting events, vineyard tours and cultural performances that complement what guests enjoy onboard. Set to launch on select Western Mediterranean voyages on Seabourn Venture in 2025, the series will provide breaths of fresh opportunity for tennis fans to get into the game, with two sailings between Barcelona and Rome offering overnights and premium tickets to the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open tennis tournaments.
Looking for more travel trends? Get access to the full 2024 TrendHawk report here:
