Sports tourism extending shoulder seasons, Tui claims

Sports tourism is changing travel habits and extending the shoulder seasons, Tui claims.

The operator says it has seen a surge in Gen-Z travellers taking part in ‘race-cations’ since its sponsorship of  the Tui Palma Marathon last month.

The company is to now sponsor the Cyprus marathon due to take place in March 2026, having also backed a race on Rhodes earlier this year.

Gen Z - 25–29 year olds - was the largest age group to take part in the Palma marathon, a shift from the previous average of 40–45 year olds.

TUI UK & Ireland commercial director Chris Logan said: “Race-cations are creating a shift in British holiday habits and Gen-Z are at the forefront of the sports tourism trend. 

“By tapping into this market, we are not only attracting new demographics to destinations, but we are also extending our holiday seasons.  

“Most sporting events typically taking place outside of peak season, so we are bolstering visits in those shoulder periods, which have great benefits for the runners, the destination and hotels. 

“We’ve seen first-hand there is a massive appetite for ’race-cations’ that combine athletic achievement with memorable stays. 

“This year the Tui Palma Marathon welcomed more than 9,000 participants from 76 countries and it was a completely sold-out event two months before the race.” 

He added: “We’re really excited to be sponsoring the Cyprus marathon next year. 

“This year Cyprus has seen a 10% year on year increase of tourists, and it is the fourth most booked Tui destination of 2025 so we’re confident they’ll be plenty of appetite for race-cations on the island.  

“We’re making it simpler for travellers to experience bucket-list races across beautiful European destinations, and with distances starting from 5k, we’re catering for serious competitors and casual runners alike.”