As sports emerge as a new growth pillar in the global travel industry, Nol Universe Co is moving to expand its sports product portfolio. Starting next year, when international sporting events such as the Winter Olympics, the World Baseball Classic (WBC), and the World Cup will be held in succession, demand for sports travel is expected to grow in Korea as well.
According to the industry on the 8th, Nol Universe Co is broadening its related product portfolio to strengthen its sports travel segment. It plans to expand beyond soccer, baseball, and Formula One (F1) into tennis, the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the National Football League (NFL), while also expanding its content. To that end, it is reviewing the introduction of various experiential elements, such as stadium tours that let travelers experience player locker rooms and media zones, local circuit driving experiences, and baseball classes taught directly by coaches.
Nol Universe Co also plans to strengthen its lineup of "away-day groups" and "community-based themed travel" that let fans share experiences with others. A Nol Universe Co official said, "We plan to upgrade our products so that travelers can go beyond simply watching a game in person to actually experiencing it and making memories together with others."
Nol Universe Co is moving to bolster its sports travel segment because related demand is rising. According to global market analysis firm Fortune Business Insights, the global sports tourism market is projected to grow from $618.6 billion (about 909 trillion won) last year to $2.0895 trillion (about 3,000 trillion won) in 2032.
The United Nations Tourism (UN Tourism) analyzed that sports tourism accounts for about 10% of global tourism expenditure. This is because sporting events themselves act as a catalyst for tourism and significantly boost related spending on lodging, air travel, food and beverage, transportation, and entertainment.
According to Nol Universe Co, bookings for European soccer tickets in the 24/25 season increased more than twofold compared to the previous season. In addition to the English Premier League (EPL), the active entry of Korea's homegrown players into Germany, France, and other countries has boosted travel demand not only for regional leagues but also for the Champions League and Europa League.
Nol Universe Co also saw transactions for F1-related products jump 90-fold from a year earlier, buoyed by the worldwide box-office success of this year's film "F1 The Movie." Transactions for Major League Baseball (MLB) products on Nol Universe Co grew 70-fold year over year. In addition to New York Yankees games, which have a large, dedicated fandom, the San Francisco Giants and the LA Dodgers, which have Korean players on their rosters, ranked high.
The travel industry expects the sports travel market to grow explosively starting next year, when a series of large-scale sporting events are scheduled. In February, the Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics and Paralympics will be held, and the World Baseball Classic (WBC) qualifiers and finals will take place around the world, including in Taipei, Taiwan; Arizona, United States; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Tokyo, Japan.
Then in June, the North and Central America World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, will take place. The number of participating countries will expand from 32 to 48, making it the largest World Cup ever. In September, the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, a festival of Asia, will be held.
Nol Universe Co plans to enhance its system that recommends local activities (experiences) and transportation products to improve customer convenience. A Nol Universe Co official said, "By guiding and recommending local essentials such as transportation and communications that travelers might miss, we will help customers easily find everything they need during their trip within the platform."