Research was conducted by the Dutch based online travel fare aggregator in 29 markets among more than 22,500 sports fans.
A combination of Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) and dedication to travelling and showing their support in the stadium results in unwavering commitment as nearly 1 in 3 (33%) of Thai sport fans admit they would happily cancel their honeymoon if it meant they could travel to watch their team live in a big game.
A whopping 82% of Thai sports fans confirm they have completed between one to five trips in the last year alone with almost half (46%) having travelled both internationally and domestically to watch their favourite team or player. The most popular sport that gets most fans on the road is football with 81% of Thai sports fans having travelled to watch a game live outside of where they live. Motorsports (29%) and tennis (24%) make up the top three.
Once they know which games they will be travelling to, Thai fans start looking for the perfect place to stay. Topping the list of considerations when looking for the perfect place to stay are affordability (73%) and location (76%) in relation to the stadium or venue, while six in ten (63%) look for accommodations that have a spa or hot tub to relax in post-match.
Yet, despite affordability being important for Thai sports fans, 33% happily admit that they would be willing to pay more for sports travel than their family vacation.
Almost one third (21%) of Thai sports fans wear lucky charms when attending a game, while 16% have developed a superstitious routine that they always perform before or during a game to ensure their team wins.
Aside from having rituals, 74% of Thai sport fans say they would never leave a match early, regardless of whether they thought their team was going to lose. 52% stay out of respect for the team or players, whereas 36% stay because they will not give up hope that their team or player can still come back and turn the game around.
Four in ten (41%) of Thai sports fans believe that they will see their national team or player win an international tournament within the next year. The expectation level is therefore huge within fan sets as they prepare for tournament after tournament in 2020.