Wellness travellers took 1.24 billion international and domestic trips in 2024, according to the Global Wellness Institute’s 2025 Global Wellness Economy Monitor. These trips accounted for 8.3% of all tourism trips and 17.6% of tourism spending. A holiday used to mean leaving the routine behind. Now, for a growing number of travellers, the routine is coming along in the suitcase, complete with workout clothes, running shoes and, increasingly, a racket. Fitness and wellness are becoming part of how people think about travel, with sports such as padel and pickleball adding a more social side to active holidays. For some travellers, finding a court is now almost as useful as finding a good restaurant or a comfortable hotel. The numbers suggest this is more than a passing travel preference. Asia Pacific was the largest region by number of wellness trips, with India and China together accounting for nearly three-quarters of the region’s wellness travel.
There was a time when a holiday meant doing the exact opposite of what you did at home. Work stopped, alarms were ignored, and exercise could quite happily wait until Monday. “Travel is no longer only about switching off from routine. Increasingly, people are looking at travel as a way to maintain the lifestyle they follow at home, or even build healthier habits while they are away. “A holiday does not necessarily mean stepping away from your routine completely. For many, it means finding a better balance between relaxation, movement, good food, outdoor experiences and mental well-being. This is where the new active holiday gets interesting. You could spend the morning playing padel, have a leisurely lunch, visit a local market in the afternoon and finish the day with dinner. The sport is not replacing the holiday. It is becoming one part of it. For younger travellers in particular, that combination of activity and social interaction can be more appealing than a tightly planned sightseeing schedule. There is also a sense of participation that comes with sport. You are not simply visiting a destination and ticking off attractions. You are doing something that people who live there may also be doing. India already has the ingredients for this kind of travel. Food, hospitality, outdoor experiences and increasingly active urban communities are all part of the country’s tourism mix. Padel and pickleball could add another layer. As more courts and sporting communities develop, travellers may begin looking at destinations through a slightly different lens. A resort with good sports facilities could appeal to families who want children to stay active. A city with several courts could attract players looking for a weekend break. A tournament could give visitors a reason to travel in the first place.
Could your next holiday involve a racket?
That could be the real appeal of sports-led travel. You get your game, your workout and your holiday, without having to treat any of them as separate parts of the trip.
