Australian Open fever has travellers desperate on a sportscursion: Flight Centre

A general view at sunset during Round 2 of the Australian Open on Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park in Melbourne on Thursday, January 20, 2022. MANDATORY PHOTO CREDIT Scott Barbour/TENNIS AUSTRALIA
Edited by Travel Weekly


With the Australian Open over for another year, the latest research from Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) shows that people are already looking for their next excuse to travel for a sporting event.

In a survey of Zillennials (Gen Z’s and Millennials) 42 per cent say they’d be very or somewhat likely to embark on a sportscursion.

The research also found that 23 per cent of men reported they were very likely book a sportscursion style-trip compared to 9 per cent of women who indicated they would be very likely to embark on a holiday that included a major sporting competition.

Among those who’d be very or somewhat likely to go on a sportscursion, the most common sports people would travel for were soccer (50 per cent), a multi-sport event (38 per cent), tennis (36 per cent) and Formula 1 (23 per cent).

One Red Bull F1 fan face to face with one Ferrari fan at the Valencia Street Circuit during the European Grand Prix of Formula 1 (iStock/Sillycoke)

Flight Centre Travel Group Global Leisure CEO James Kavanagh said: “Our research shows there’s huge appetite for people to combine their love of travel with their love of live sport and that 2024 is set to offer up a slew of sporting goodness at home and abroad.

“From the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix to the Matilda’s qualifying match in Melbourne, the T20 World Cup and of course, the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics – there are so many reasons for sports fans to jump on a plane and make a holiday of their favourite event this year.

“Amongst all the excitement it’s worth keeping in mind that booking these kinds of events often include complex arrangements at times of peak demand, so using one of our experts can offer huge advantages in terms of accessing special rates and products you simply can’t access by booking yourself.”

This study was undertaken YouGov Plc. and commissioned by FCTG. Its total sample size was 822 adults.

(Featured Image: The Australian Open at Rod Laver Arena – Scott Barbour/TENNIS AUSTRALIA)

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