Fitness Tourism Is Booming—How Working Out On Your Holiday Became the Ultimate Status Symbol

It’s 5.45 am, and I’m Boston-bound, lugging a carry-on packed with carbon plate trainers, gels, kit and electrolytes through Heathrow Terminal 5. I’ve got 45 minutes until boarding, so I grab my usual—a Pret porridge, protein pot and cappuccino—and settle down with my book near the departures board.

If you saw me, you’d probably assume I was off on an early summer holiday or sightseeing trip. But rather than heading Stateside purely to explore the historical Harvard campus, grab far too many Dunkin’ iced coffees and catch some games at Fenway Park, I’ll be lacing up to run the infamous Boston Marathon.

The first time I travelled abroad for a race was in 2019, when a group of friends and I headed to Lisbon for the half-marathon. Post-pandemic, I travelled to Chicago to complete my first marathon abroad. And since then, I’ve kind of lost count, travelling all across the UK and abroad for races and fitness events. I’ve completed the Berlin, Valencia, and Boston Marathons, a four-day wellness retreat in Spain, and even ticked off a marathon walk along the Northumberland coast with my family.

Using my annual leave to tick off bucket list events that also boost my mood and fitness isn’t a question anymore; it’s just how I enjoy spending my spare time.

While holidaymakers have long prioritised “fly and flop” vacations, opting for all-inclusive resorts in sunny destinations decked out with pool, restaurant and bar, our appetite has shifted dramatically over the last decade, with travellers increasingly seeking out holidays centred around wellness, fitness, and active experiences.

While once seen as niche and reserved mainly for serious athletes and wellness enthusiasts, I’m now far from alone in choosing to use my annual leave in a more active way. While retreats have long been popular, travelling for fitness events like Hyrox competitions, international marathons, or dedicated hikes is only growing in popularity, becoming both a social and status-driven experience. Fitness and sports tourism is a half-trillion-dollar-plus industry that accounts for roughly 10% of global tourism spending. And data shows that wellness tourism is actually growing faster than traditional tourism and leisure travel segments, projected to grow at around 14 to 17% annually over the next five years.

More people than ever are planning their holidays around movement, whether that’s a marathon, half marathon, fitness competition like Hyrox, or yoga or Pilates-focused retreat. So what does the rise of “fitness tourism” say about how we’re choosing to travel and how we want to switch off? Is it about community, achievement, or a deeper shift in how we define rest and reward?

Don’t get me wrong—poolside holidays will always have their place. But alongside them, a surprising underdog has emerged in the form of fitness tourism. Below, I chat with some of the experts at the forefront of the movement to get their take.

How Fitness Tourism Is Redefining the Way We Travel

If you’d told fourteen-year-old Ally that she’d use a large chunk of her annual leave each year to run races abroad, she’d probably have laughed at you. I wasn’t a sporty kid —far from it—and I loathed exercise with a passion. But in my early 20s, I found running, and it’s no exaggeration to say it’s shaped my life, travel, and worldview ever since.

Many of my friends are the same; one person I spoke to for this piece has run several races around the UK and abroad, combining her love of running with travel. “I do it for the adventure,” she shares. “It’s such a great way and reason to see new places.” Many others I asked echoed the same sentiment, that travelling for fitness boosts adventure, opportunity, and discovery. “It’s an amazing way to explore new places and chase personal bests.”

For some, it’s about seeing destinations through a new lens—“I enjoy seeing areas of a city that aren’t on the typical tourist trail when running marathons”—while for others, it’s about seeing the best of the locals, too: “Nothing brings humans together more than cheering complete strangers taking on sporting events in their hometown. I love meeting people in other countries and sharing life experiences.”

One friend put it well, when I asked what the appeal was: “Someone said the NYC Marathon was the best day of their life. I entered the ballot there and then.” And this I really resonate with. Marathons are such a monumental achievement; completing one somewhere new offers a deeply tangible sense of purpose, adventure and connection.

There’s also an element of emotional escapism. Destination fitness events masterfully merge your athletic achievements with travel, culture and identity. Travelling to a new city to meet new, but like-minded, people can help you to realise a version of yourself outside of your everyday routine and boost your self-confidence tenfold.

One friend that I spoke to for this piece spends her weekends travelling to different Parkruns with her husband. She’s done 226 so far, eighteen overseas, and has no plans to stop any time soon. “Parkrunning is more than just a 5K for me. It’s quality time with my favourite people and getting outdoors. And then there’s all the places it takes me to, whether that’s a random park in a part of the UK I’d never have visited otherwise, or an underrated racecourse or the grounds of an epic country house."

Ultimately, everyone’s “whys” have a connecting thread: we’re actively seeking experiences for our annual leave that boost our body, mind, and mood. Holidays need to be restorative, but what we now view as restorative has undoubtedly evolved. “Building some element of wellness into a holiday is the only way I actually manage to switch off,” shares Marie Claire's Social Media Editor Dionne Brighton. “It’s become the main thing I look for when booking.”

Movement-Packed Holidays > Fly and Flop

Across the industry, experts are noticing the same: people are shifting from seeking out passive to experiential travel. As Alex Rowe from Motiv Sports UK, the organiser of HOKA Hackney Moves, puts it, “People want trips that feel earned, purposeful and shareable. In this digital world, holidays are no longer just about relaxation; they’re about storytelling and achievement.”

Take Hackney Half Marathon, as an example: runners took to the streets this year from 33 different nations, with people flying all the way from Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand.

Jeff Adams, President of Marathon Tours & Travel, agrees. They’ve long been leading the charge on the active holiday front, combining world-class marathon experiences with expertly curated packages for runners, turning race day into a seamless travel adventure. They’ve seen enormous growth over the past ten years, and he believes that many are replacing “standard” holidays with more fitness-focused fun. “Today's travellers are turning the most remote corners of the planet into a collective celebration of community, culture, and healthy living."

Restorative Time Off As the New Non-Negotiable

There are many reasons this may be happening, including the fast pace of modern life and a shift in our understanding of how fundamentally integral wellbeing is. As Louise Day, Fitness & Wellbeing Director at Champneys Wellness Spas, one of the UK’s most established wellness destinations, says, “Wellness travel has shifted from indulgence to essential maintenance for mind, body and soul. It’s no longer just about relaxation; it’s about expert-led programmes that deliver physical and mental benefits.”

Lewis Moses from RunThrough, a leading organiser of mass participation running events, reckons that COVID played its part in encouraging people to live healthier lifestyles. “Having [freedom of movement, travelling and fitness events] taken away during COVID made many put a value on exercising and making the most of the time you have off. People want to come back from holiday feeling good as opposed to feeling wiped.”

Community, Culture, Identity

Of course, fitness tourism also offers something that your standard holidays may not—it brings you together with like-minded people who you otherwise wouldn’t have met. “Not only do you get a chance to see a global city, but you get a chance to interact with people and communities,” Moses adds. “You’re not just ticking off life goals in terms of travel; you’re also ticking off big goals in terms of personal development.”

It’d be remiss to overlook the wider cultural shift towards wellness as an identity. People no longer work out purely for aesthetic reasons; millions around the globe move to boost their mental health, improve self-development, and be part of a wider community. As Moritz Fürste, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer at HYROX, puts it when we catch up, “It says something quite profound about how our relationship with both health and success has shifted. People's priorities have changed.”

More than 111,000 athletes have now travelled to compete in HYROX races across two or more regions worldwide, with nearly 30,000 athletes competing in three or more regions (for context, there were just 50 travelling competitors in 2018 compared to more than 111,000 in 2026). He reckons this is because generationally, our attitudes have seismically shifted: we now crave identity, community, and performance in an increasingly isolating world. “HYROX represents the desire to perform. It's not just about feeling well, it's about testing yourself, competing and coming home with a result after training so hard. That pursuit of personal excellence, regardless of age or background, feels very much like the defining attitude of this current generation.”

In an era of burnout and digital overload, fitness tourism offers an experience people can’t get elsewhere: structure, connection and an unrivalled sense of accomplishment, all while exploring somewhere new.

Redefining Luxury

At the same time, how we view luxury has quietly shifted: now, it’s not enough to book a five-star hotel with an all-inclusive food and drinks package. Travellers expect a fully fledged wellness offering—Pilates, yoga, saunas, guided hikes, state-of-the-art gym facilities, nutrient-dense menu options, and non-alcoholic, low-sugar drinks, too. Oh, and don’t forget the sound baths.

As Adams reflects, “Fitness tourism consistently shows that our ideas of luxury, achievement, and self-care are expanding and intersecting. True luxury is about feeling alive, pushing your limits, and treating your mind and body right.” He also shares that a growing number of their clients are willing to spend more on more high-end fitness experiences—take the recently launched Marathon Tours and Travel “Prestige Packages" for example, which sold out almost immediately.

The more I dive deep into this topic, the more apparent it becomes to me that fitness tourism is multifaceted and likely highly individual. Hyrox fans may combine a holiday with a competition for a sense of personal accomplishment and to ensure they stick to a training plan; marathon runners may tick off 26.2’s around the globe to tap into the wider running community and to meet like-minded people; low-impact enthusiasts heading to retreats may be looking for new ways to unwind and return home feeling their best selves.

But they all have one thing in common: that people are viewing wellness as part of their identity. For some, true luxury now lies in how we feel, both physically and mentally, day to day—it's not about designer bags or luxe brands, but rather the quality of life.

Dr Melanie agrees that the meaning of status has changed. “It’s less about visible luxury and more about access to time, expertise, prevention and highly personalised care. Being able to invest in one’s health has become a new form of privilege. However, the most meaningful part of wellness travel is not symbolic, but practical. Its value lies in whether it helps people live with more energy, clarity and long-term health.”

Fürste adds: “People no longer prioritise materialism; rather, access to experiences, and that's exactly what we're building with HYROX Experiences. Our first-ever HYROX Cruise in October will host a never-before-seen training concept built around our four core pillars ‘Foundation, Engine, Power and Complete’, combined with exclusive access to world champions and internationally renowned coaches sharing insights into their training, nutrition and performance strategies. That kind of access was previously reserved for elite athletes. Now it's available to anyone willing to show up and put in the work.”

For so long, travel was a pretty “one size fits all,” with data showing that while many wanted to explore new places, the majority just wanted to switch off somewhere hot and with good food and drink options. Now, the face of travel as we know it has evolved: people are actively seeking more, and that “more” is movement.

No longer a niche, but a fast-growing sector reshaping how we holiday, wellness shouldn’t be an afterthought, extra cost, or add-on; it should be integrated, so that more people get to experience the life-changing benefits that good sleep, regular movement and nutrient-dense food can bring.

All I have to say? Well, that you heard it here first.