Vince Nguyen, a 39-year-old entrepreneur based in Vietnam, spends a few hundred dollars almost every month traveling to other countries to play pickleball.
The sport, which began as a pastime after he injured himself in American football, has since become central to his lifestyle, as he plays it for 2 to 4 hours almost daily.
Since he picked up the sport two years ago, Nguyen has played leisurely in Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and Canada. Next month, he is planning to head to China for an upcoming tournament.
He says he forks out a few hundred dollars on round-trip flights to Taiwan or Malaysia for tournaments and leisure play with friends. Additionally, he pays court fees ranging from $4 to $8 for open play and about $38 a night for hotels. In total, the trips cost him between $386 and $772.
However, he spends almost $1,000 when traveling to Canada, where flights and indoor courts are pricier than in Asia.
“I like to spend a week … playing a few times, checking out different courts, going to different restaurants,” he said.
Vince Nguyen (top right) at a pickleball tournament in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.
Source: Vince Nguyen
Nguyen believes traveling to play pickleball makes a difference as “every country has a little bit different style” in playing the game, and he is not alone. He is one of the many millennials who are fueling a rising trend in travel: sports tourism.
According to Hilton’s 2026 Trends Report, which polled over 14,000 travelers across 14 countries, about 67% of millennials have planned a trip for events related to their interests, including sports, wellness and concerts.
In the U.S. alone, millennials are 80% more likely to plan a vacation for tennis and 87% for pickleball, according to a survey by online travel agency Priceline on travel trends in 2025.
And there are no signs of sports tourism slowing down. The sports tourism industry is already a $707.29 billion market and is forecasted to nearly triple by 2032, according to Fortune Business Insights.
Europe leads the market with a valuation of $248.23 billion last year. Meanwhile, Asia-Pacific has been marked the fastest-growing region, anticipated to be worth $149.50 billion in 2025.
Sports tourism in Asia-Pacific is projected to have a compound annual growth rate of 17.85% from 2025 to 2032.
“Good for your soul”
Another millennial, 35-year-old Nirbhay Handa, who is based in Singapore, also travels abroad for tennis.
“I’ll go to a tennis camp in Phuket … when I travel to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, I have a tennis coach that I just go and play with in the evenings after work,” he said. “I think this makes me better at work, because I’m in a better mood,” the entrepreneur said.
He will also bring his tennis racket with him whenever he travels for business or leisure. He said he has spent around $200 a week on tennis sessions in Dubai.
Handa said that the sport is more than a hobby to him. “It just became very therapeutic, and it put me on to some good habits … not drinking till late on Friday … giving up social smoking completely,” he added.
He makes it a point to play a game of tennis when he’s abroad for leisure or business.
Tennis, which he deems “good for your soul,” not only helps him unwind but also fulfils his social life.
“It does a little bit of what going out to a pub would do for a lot of people, you know, which is meeting people, meeting your friends over a drink,” he said, but “I feel like I can do that at the tennis court.”
Hitting personal goals
Mike Goldys, who lives in Florida, travels to surf overseas with a goal of playing in as many different surf parks as possible. The 39-year-old has logged 140 hours so far across 26 cities in 10 countries.
“Each surf park … is very unique for me. I … just can’t get enough of it, he said. “I want to keep checking them off and seeing what this one was like in this state.”
“I rarely go back to the same wave pool twice,” he added.
Goldys has spent $18,500 on surf sessions alone, budgeting $6000 to $10,000 per trip depending on flights and accommodation, he said. He also sets aside money for photography and videography to share on social platforms.
Mike Goldys surfing at the Atlantic Park Surf in Virginia Beach, USA.
Source: Andrew Tonra
As a social media strategist at a non-profit organization, he takes one to two weeks off for surfing trips — only tending to work matters for emergencies.
“When you pay to surf in a wave pool you’re guaranteed waves that they’re really powerful and like good shape… a way to accelerate progress,” he said. “[It’s] very quick for someone who doesn’t have the perfect waves all the time” near his residence in Florida.
At $170 an hour, surf parks aren’t cheap. But Goldys insists they’re worth it.
“As long as it doesn’t put you in a bad position afterwards financially,” he said.
