Experience‑led travel is reshaping how consumers plan journeys and across EMEA, sports and wellness are rapidly becoming the most powerful drivers of that shift. From Europe’s year‑round sporting calendar to the Middle East’s investment in world‑class events and Africa’s rise in nature‑based wellness retreats, travellers are increasingly building trips around the activities that matter most to them.

Priority Pass’s latest report, ‘From Stadiums to Spas’ reveals travellers are building their trips around the activities that matter most to them: attending major sporting events, prioritising their wellbeing, and seeking meaningful, restorative experiences.

For brands, this unlocks a high‑intent, high‑value audience and a clear opportunity to compete on experience, not just price.

Sports & Wellness Travel Is Surging

The global sports tourism market is projected to reach USD $2 trillion by 2032, doubling its 2025 value and strongly fuelled by EMEA’s football centric and event driven markets. Wellness travel is not far behind, forecast to hit USD $910 billion by 2030, as more travellers prioritise physical recovery and mindful escapes.

Across EMEA:

• Europe remains a powerhouse for sports tourism, driven by football leagues, tennis championships and Formula 1 circuits that attract international travellers year-round.
• The Middle East is fast becoming a global hub for major sporting events, from F1 to UFC, contributing to extremely high demand for premium travel experiences.
• Africa shows strong growth in wellness tourism, with nature-based retreats, spa driven getaways and adventure wellness hybrids attracting both inbound and regional travellers.

Another key finding in the report showed that younger travellers use sports events to discover new cities, while wellness travellers want their wellness holiday to begin immediately at the airport, seeking calm, frictionless journeys that align with their wellbeing goals.

The Airport Experience Matters

Passion may inspire travellers to book sports or wellness trips, but the airport often determines how the journey begins. When the experience is smooth and welcoming, travellers feel more positive and better cared for.

The pain points are familiar: queues, tight schedules and rushed journeys routinely undermine what should be a relaxing start. Yet expectations vary across the region:

• In Europe, high‑volume travel patterns heighten demand for efficiency, comfort and convenience, especially during peak fixtures and seasonal surges.
• In the Middle East, travellers expect elevated, premium experiences that are effortless, status‑aware and impeccably delivered.
• Across Africa, reliability, comfort and wellbeing‑focused enhancements are key, from quiet spaces and restorative services to human support to make journeys dependable and supportive.

This is where Priority Pass’s travel loyalty ecosystem adds real value, helping travellers feel recognised and supported before they even take off.

With spa and wellness services, dining, sleep pods and even gaming zones, Priority Pass elevates sports and wellness travel with comfort and calm throughout the airport journey. Its global network of lounges and curated experiences gives travellers a refined space to unwind before their sporting or wellbeing-focused trip, ensuring travellers feel looked after from the moment they arrive.

Travel Benefits Are Driving Loyalty Across EMEA

Sports and wellness travellers represent a high value audience: passionate, engaged and willing to spend. More than half of EMEA respondents already have a payment card that offer travel benefits. Almost all of these respondents choose their card specifically because it supported their sports and wellness travel desires. This presents a significant business opportunity to evolve from financial providers to lifestyle enablers, delivering benefits that align with the modern traveller’s priorities.

Looking Ahead: EMEA Is Poised to Lead Experience-Led Travel

Travellers no longer want just a ticket or transaction, they want a seamless, stress free, restorative experience from home to destination (and back again). For sports fans and wellness seekers alike, the journey is becoming just as important as the experience itself.

2026 marks a turning point for air travel in the region. With the rise of smart airports, expansion of tourism megaprojects across the Middle East and Europe’s continued status as a global sports destination, the EMEA region is uniquely positioned to lead the next era of experience driven travel.

• Europe will continue to attract global audiences through a dense sporting calendar and highly mobile fan base enabled by seamless intra-regional travel.
• The Middle East is accelerating with smart airports and tourism megaprojects, setting new benchmarks for effortless, premium travel.
• Africa is investing in sustainable, nature‑integrated tourism, fuelling demand for restorative, wellbeing-focused travel experiences.

With the right benefits and experiences in place EMEA is uniquely positioned to lead the next era of experience‑driven travel.