When an abseiling Tom Cruise drew the curtain on a two-week buffet of sport in Paris, most fans grieved the end of a fortnight spent glued to their sofas. But for some, it was the finale of something a little more decadent.
Sport already constitutes around 10% of the world’s expenditure on travel according to the United Nation’s tourism agency, UN Tourism – and the luxury sector of that market is gaining super-charged momentum.
For prices upwards of £1,000 per person per night, fans can purchase a bespoke trip including the best seats at their favourite tournament, a five-star hotel stay and a gastronomic or cultural adventure in the host country.
Among those businesses swapping Bovril on the terraces for fizz in the executive box is Roadtrips, which has spent over 30 years taking wealthy golf lovers to the Masters, tennis fans to Wimbledon and motorheads to the Monaco Grand Prix.
Specialist agents provide guests willing to pay the eye-watering sums with their own personalised itinerary.
On the ground they are greeted to an army of hosts, decadent welcome gifts and invites to parties for drinks and hors d’oeuvres between sporting fixtures.
All organised by their hosts, a typical day in Paris for such tourists included a dip in the hotel pool before a wander around the Louvre in the morning, then an evening of athletics at the Stade de France, and dinner with caviar and fine French wine at a Michelin-starred restaurant.
Meeting the founder of Roadtrips, Dave Guenther, in a suite at the Shangri-La Hotel, looking across the River Seine at an Eiffel Tower adorned with the Olympic rings, I have a taste of the lifestyle he offers his customers.
Canadian singer Celine Dion stayed at the Shangri-La before her performance at Paris’ opening ceremony, Dave explains, adding other famous faces have stayed at hotels on Roadtrips’ itineraries, including tech billionaire Elon Musk, Australian actress Margot Robbie and actor-turned stadium abseiler Tom Cruise.
A Canadian himself, Dave started his company in 1992 with his passion for ice hockey at the front of his mind, initially touring historic baseball and hockey arenas across North America.
“We came from something that was probably a little bit more like a bunch of guys going to a sports weekend – that is the genesis and maybe the popular perception,” Dave says.
“But we’ve blended that with a family feel for a week-long, multi-generational experience… people are often really surprised at how many decision-makers for a sports travel trip now are female.”
As their trips evolved, so too have the events they provide for – with “soccer” at the World Cup in North America, and the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina both looming large for the company in 2026.
Bespoke packages offered in Paris for the Summer Olympic games started at $8,945 US dollars per person (£6,970) for six nights without flights, and the upcoming winter edition will toboggan up to starting prices of $9,975 (£7,770) for the same in two year’s time.
The World Cup – an altogether different beast, spanning 39 days, 104 football matches and three countries – includes packages from short three-night stays, to 15-night trips following your national team through the tournament.
The diversity of sport offered is growing and Dave says requests from travel advisors for information on Roadtrips were up over 100% this summer from previous ones.
“Interest is growing and it feels like the success and excitement around the Paris Summer Games has super-charged momentum,” he says.
While unwilling to share the names of any famous Roadtrips clients, Dave acknowledges their offerings are often booked by “high net-worth” and “private jet” families – but for some it can be something they spend years saving for.
“We definitely have a whole ‘private-jet lifestyle’ kind of clientele that’s on one end of the spectrum, and then a lot of folks who want their one special bucket-list experience – to go to a World Cup or a Masters – to be done well,” he says.
Taking just such an approach are Diane and Mike Raiche, high school sweethearts, now retired, from Northern Ontario, Canada, whose first taste of luxury sport came at London 2012.
“My husband kept telling me ‘okay, one Olympics, you get one Olympics’ – we went to London with Roadtrips and he said ‘let’s book the next one’,” says Diane, over a glass of champagne at a drinks reception on a boat by the banks of the Seine.
“Once you get there it is top-notch VIP-treatment from the time you get here to the time you leave, and that’s why we keep coming back – it makes you feel like royalty for a little bit in your life.”
Both 63, with Diane formerly a dental hygienist and Mike working in probation and parole for the Canadian government, the couple saved up to be sat just behind the starting blocks for Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt’s historic gold in the men’s 100m final in 2012.
Catching the luxury sports tourism bug again they travelled to Rio in 2016 – again witnessing Bolt make history – before a stay at a Marriott Hotel with Roadtrips in Paris this month.
Illustrating why the couple spend big on such trips, Diane is emotional as she reflects on her experiences on the “special” moments she’s witnessed.
“We’re all from different countries, and we’re all here for the same reason, just to play the game and compete and have fun,” she says.
On the cost of their trip, she concedes “thank god they’re four years apart” but she would “absolutely” be open to travelling for non-Olympic events.
Dave too acknowledges that while sports like football have historically been sustained by working-class fans, money is the key driver getting sports fans the best seats and travel experience at major events in 2024.
“It’s tough, because these events have become things that have a higher focus on people who have the money to be able to afford it,” Dave says.
Should sport be about the drinks you have at half time or the bed you sleep in after your favourite athlete breaks a world record? Perhaps that’s not for these luxury travellers to decide, but this plush corner of tourism is certainly growing.
How to plan your trip
For more information about sports events and price ranges on bespoke packages, visit roadtrips.com
