Global Scans · Leisure · Weekly Summary

WHAT'S NEXT?: Online retailing will be one of the fastest growing channels between 2015 and 2019 as individuals do not have much time for leisure and seek convenience. Entertainment will continue to shift away from traditional broadcast media and print to reality augmented and deeply personalised content. The occupations with the largest new employment growth will be managers, professional and technical jobs, and caring and leisure occupations. Many middle-class professionals will be outsourced to machines within the next few decades leaving workers with more leisure time than they have ever experienced.

• [New] Key factors to monitor in 2026 include the FIFA World Cup, which is expected to boost hotel performance, alongside trends in international travel and the entertainment sector's recovery. Hotel Online
• [New] Global ad spend is expected to surpass $1 trillion for the first time in 2026, partially fueled by sports. Digiday
• [New] By 2050, esports leagues could draw larger audiences than most physical sports. AOL
• [New] The next 25 years could reshape transportation, medicine, entertainment, and even education. AOL
• [New] Global revenues for women's sports are projected to reach $2.3 billion in 2026. Denver 7 Colorado News (KMGH)
• [New] In 2026, Disney anticipates spending $24 billion on content across entertainment and sports. Streaming Media Magazine
• [New] The World Economic Forum's Sports for People and Planet 2026 report flags physical inactivity as a systemic threat: globally, one in three adults and more than 80% of adolescents fail to meet recommended activity levels. Sporting Goods Intelligence
• [New] The global sports economy generates approximately $2.3 trillion (€2.2 trillion) in annual revenues today and is projected to reach $8.8 trillion (€8.3 trillion) by 2050. Sporting Goods Intelligence
• [New] The continued growth of mobile and cloud gaming will bring interactive entertainment to new audiences around the world. GameSpace.com
• Premium leisure carrier beOnd will expand its winter 2026-27 schedule to the Maldives with new routes from Paris and London and additional frequencies from Zurich and Munich. Aviation Week Network
• Consumer research on North American travel patterns for 2025 and 2026 shows that many households expect to maintain or increase their trip volume, supported by strong demand for leisure travel and a continued shift toward experiences over goods. The Traveler
• A report by Oxford Economics predicts significant economic headwinds from a potential holiday tax in England, including a GBP 2.2 billion decline in GDP, a GBP 1.6 billion increase in taxes for vacationers, and a GBP 688 million fall in tax revenue by 2030 if a 5% levy is fully implemented. Hotel News Resource
• More than 4,900 flight disruptions, including about 600 cancellations, as strong winds and severe thunderstorms hit major airports, particularly in Atlanta and Orlando, both critical gateways for leisure travelers. The Traveler
• An impressive 76% anticipate taking more than one overnight leisure trip in 2026. hotelbusiness.com
• Women's soccer is already one of the fastest-growing sports worldwide, but NWSL offers robust commercial opportunities thanks to its $240 million broadcast deal and exposure. The Athletic
• Looking ahead, Americans expect to take an average of 4.1 leisure trips over 2027, slightly higher than both last month and last year. Hotel News Resource
• While leisure transient demand is expected to see continued momentum in 2026, with the World Cup expected to boost revenues in the second quarter, the business transient side is more muted, with expectations that it will likely match 2025 levels. Nareit
• As Los Angeles gears up for a surge of tourists for 2026's FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Olympics, vacation rental giant Airbnb is urging the city of Los Angeles to legalize thousands of new short-term rentals. Capital & Main
• The 2026 holiday season is expected to see similar growth rates to 2025, approximately 2.6% for overall US retail and 6.6% for ecommerce. eMarketer
• An entertainment city the size of an entire metropolitan area, capable of welcoming 17 million visitors annually, is a bet that the new generation of Saudis (70% of whom are under 35) will not accept the traditional lifestyle. Invest Global - Saudi Arabia
• Selected athletes will be integrated into the national sports ecosystem, helping India build a strong sporting culture and future international-level athletes. Guidely

Last updated: 08 April 2026