Tennis majors, Winter Olympics, World Cup and more sparking 2026 travel boom: What to know

The Winter Olympics, FIFA World Cup and other live events will shape the travel landscape in 2026 as sports tourism and global concert tours alike inspire destination-driven stays with one-of-a-kind itineraries.

More than one in three people intend to travel for a cultural event or festival, which can include sports, music and food, according to Katy Nastro, travel industry expert for Going, a flight savings app.

Purposeful travel will take center stage this year to answer the “why” behind where they go, Nastro pointed out, as consumers shift towards “a one big trip mentality” in order to ensure “when they do spend, it’s as unforgettable as possible.”

“Events are increasingly the starting point for travel decisions. Our latest survey shows that 81% of travelers are influenced by major sporting events and 88% by concerts or festivals when choosing where to go,” Jason Wynn, CEO of Chase Travel, told ABC News.

Wynn said the company closely tracks cultural moments throughout the year to create a unique presence and build out itineraries around such experiences, like an alpine Olympics-inspired Sapphire Reserve Trip to St. Moritz with skiing and snowboarding on Corvatsch Mountain alongside gold medalist Shaun White.

Come for the sports, stay for the destinations

This year is chock-full of tentpole sporting events, optimized for fans to experience once-in-a-lifetime, in-person action along with next-level hospitality that extends beyond the walls of an arena or stadium.

Australian Open: Jan. 12 – Feb. 1, 2026

Things kick off down under, where travelers can enjoy summer sunshine with the first Grand Slam of the season in Melbourne as Roger Federer returns to Rod Laver Arena for what he famously dubbed the “Happy Slam.”

Australian tennis legend and AO match operations lead, Todd Woodbridge, told ABC News this is “the biggest annual sporting event in the world in January, which has become a bucket list event for so many,” and last year welcomed “more than 1.2 million fans.”

“While tennis is at the heart of everything we do at the AO, it’s much more of a festival. There’s amazing food, for 2026 we have 21 days of fantastic music and entertainment, the AO Ballpark is a dedicated playground for kids,” he said of the hospitality build-out. “Melbourne is an easy city to get around, and there’s lots to do — hotels are close by, transport is seamless.”

On the heels of ESPN’s most-viewed tennis telecast to close out 2025, fans will be eager to see who is in top form. Jannik Sinner looks to defend the men’s title and American phenom Madison Keys returns to do the same on the women’s side.

Super Bowl LX: Feb. 2 – 8

Top NFL teams like the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos are vying to secure spots on the gridiron for Super Bowl LX, yet football fans have already started to plan for the penultimate event at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

The NFL released its official lineup of Super Bowl week events, which kicks off with a free to fans on opening night on Feb. 2, followed by the Pro Bowl on Feb. 3 and more before the big game and highly-anticipated Bad Bunny halftime performance on Feb. 8.

Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games: Feb. 6 – 22

In February, winter sports enthusiasts will descend on Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, which serves as the backdrop for event venues across Northern Italy for skiing, snowboarding, bobsled, hockey, ice skating and more.

The geographically widespread Games have spurred an uptick by 160% in bookings to the area, Visa Consulting and Analytics reported.

Airbnb recently reported an 185% increase in searches for Milan, Italy, surrounding the Winter Olympics, per booking data from the short-term rental and experience company.

The Masters Tournament: April 6-12

Top golfers and fans will arrive at Augusta National for the first major of the year in April, where Rory McIlroy secured his long-awaited career Grand Slam and first-ever Green Jacket last year.

TCS Boston, London Marathons

On April 20, 2026, runners from around the world, their coaches and cheering squads will take to the iconic streets of Beantown for the world’s oldest annual marathon.

The Boston Athletic Association has seen significant boosts in tourism and spending while hosting the major running event, with more than $500 million in economic impact reported in 2024.

The London Marathon takes place less than a week later on April 26, 2026, which last year topped the world rankings for aggregate economic impact.

Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix: May 1-3

Luxury motorsports have seen a surge in popularity and with U.S. audiences driving a significant boom in F1 fandom, 73% of whom said in a 2025 survey they plan to attend a future race, the first stateside event of the season in May will be an opportunity for fans see the high-speed action in person.

The French Open Roland Garros: May 24-June 7

The second major of the tennis season will take to the famed clay courts of Roland Garros, with the main draw tentatively set to begin on May 24, 2026.

FIFA World Cup: June 11-July 19

Mexico, Canada and the U.S. play host to the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches across a bevy of bustling locations — including Mexico City, Guadalajara, New York City, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Vancouver — giving football fans added reasons to explore off the pitch.

Companies have “jumped on the experiential travel bandwagon around major events,” Nastro said of the global event, with brands like American Airlines, Verizon, and Chase all rolling out early ticket offers and experiences.

Wynn said the company is especially excited for the World Cup where “thanks to Visa, a limited number of exclusive tickets will go on sale exclusively for Chase Sapphire cardmembers.”

The Championships, Wimbledon: June 29 – July 12

The two-week Grand Slam tournament at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is a pinnacle event on the sports tourism calendar for summer 2026.

U.S. Open Tennis Championships: Aug. 23-Sept. 13

The final major of the season includes three weeks of tennis at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center with fan week, mixed doubles and the main draw singles tournament.

Artists on tour worth gig-tripping for

The gig-tripping trend, which first saw a massive post-COVID era boom with the success of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, showed no sign of slowing with Bad Bunny’s record-breaking Puerto Rico residency in 2025.

And with even more highly anticipated headliners hitting stadiums or renewing residencies, experts predict super fans will continue to flock to fill seats outside of their local cities to see their favorite artists perform live and enjoy a getaway at the same time. 

In total, the music tourism industry could be worth as much as $9 billion by 2030, according to the World Economic Forum.

This year, Bad Bunny takes his hits global with the Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour that spans more than 50 shows across four continents through July 22, 2026, in Brussels. Other top-charting acts taking stages across multiple continents include Rosalía, Ariana Grande, Florence + The Machine, Lily Allen, and Zara Larsson.

Experts also predict continued tourism for music festivals, such as in Southern California for the popular back-to-back weekend event of Coachella, which Airbnb data showed as a top-searched date and city for bookings in 2026.