According to a global market study released today by the online travel agency eDreams, which analyses users' relationship with so-called sports tourism, Portugal stands out among the top nations evaluated.

When asked about the geographical destinations of these trips, more than a third of national respondents (34%) stated they were willing to travel to another continent, while a further 23% intend to travel to other countries within Europe.

The statistical analysis reveals quite pronounced generational and gender divides in the national market. The younger segment (18-24 years old) is the most enthusiastic about planning long-distance trips, motivated by sports, with 52% of responses being favourable.

Conversely, interest in intercontinental routes decreases progressively with age, settling at 19% among citizens in Generation X (ages 55-64) and reaching only 8% among individuals over 65. In terms of gender, two out of five men (40%) are receptive to international travel for sporting reasons, surpassing the figure for women, where availability stands at 29%.

Football leading

In the preferred sports chess game, football exerts absolute hegemony in Portugal, leading the preferences of 74% of respondents, the highest percentage recorded among all countries included in the eDreams study.

The Olympic Games follow at a considerable distance (30%), followed by motorsports such as Formula 1 and MotoGP (20%), tennis (14%), and basketball (9%). The inclination towards football is particularly pronounced among men, with 84% expressing a preference for watching live matches abroad, compared to 63% among women.

Development of conventional tourism

For the vast majority of Portuguese fans, travelling to a sporting event also serves as a platform for the development of conventional tourism and for cultural exploration of the destination.

The report details that 42% of travellers express a desire to add one to two extra days to their stay, while 39% prefer to extend their stay by three to four additional days.

A further 11% take the opportunity to stay more than five additional days in the host location, contrasting with a residual minority of 4% who choose to return home on the day of the event itself.

Planning the trip

In terms of booking behaviour and planning, prudence dictates the rules for most national consumers: 53% of respondents prefer to wait for official confirmation of their team's or athlete's qualification or participation before purchasing flights and accommodation.

However, the last-minute profile attracts 22% of fans who hold off on their decision until the last minute in search of promotional fares or secondary-market tickets.

In terms of the financial effort required to make a dream sporting trip a reality, 46% of Portuguese people consider it acceptable to invest the total budget for a full summer vacation, while 37% prefer to limit their spending to the cost of a short local getaway.