The rise of sportcations in China is being driven by a convergence of young urbanites seeking meaning beyond the daily grind and valuing physical exertion above passive indulgence, experts said.

The trend has also been advanced by Hyrox, a popular German-initiated fitness race that has grown from 650 global participants in 2017 to more than 1.5 million this year, with many young people in China embracing the event, according to data reported by CNBC.

Gao Shunli from the Tourism Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said sportcation, an emerging trend of the sports tourism industry, has already demonstrated strong momentum and a high growth potential. However, its share of the overall tourism and sports industries could be bigger, and its development potential needs to be further unlocked.

The market size of China's sports tourism is projected to reach 3.88 trillion yuan ($576 billion) in 2026, Gao said.

Globally, sportcation is not new, but its growth is accelerating. The global tourism company TUI Musement's 2026 Travel Trends report named "sportcation" a key trend of the year, with bookings for sport-related activities rising nearly 37 percent year-on-year. In Southeast Asia, for instance, destinations like Bali have pioneered a "training camp" model.