Research collated by travel dating website and app tourbar.com reveals that up to 36% of single members chose a sporting holiday as the reason they were looking for a fellow traveller to join them on a trip.
With a major year of sporting events underway, solo travellers looking to follow their sporting idols around the world as they compete are being encouraged not to put off by making the journey. Research collated by travel dating website and app tourbar.com reveals that up to 36% of single members chose a sporting holiday as the reason they were looking for a fellow traveller to join them on a trip.
The figures also reveal that three destinations in the Indian Ocean have topped the list as the most desirable places to travel for solo sports fans in search of a partner. According to tourbar.com, a website and mobile app that aims to match like-minded travellers, Indonesia secured the top spot with 36% of respondents claiming that they were travelling to the country for sports. Indonesia’s world-class surfing, badminton and traditional martial art pencak silat are thought to be behind the surge in sports visitors. Indonesia’s popularity was closely followed by the Philippines (33%), with luxury paradise islands the Maldives securing the third position with 30% of members claiming this is why they were planning a trip there alone.
When it came to TourBar’s 3,500 UK members, 245 (7%) claimed they were looking to travel alone for sports purposes with destinations such as Canada, which is famed for its ice hockey and basketball, the US, Spain, New Zealand and Thailand topping their travel wish list.
By becoming a TourBar verified member through the unique three-stage member verification process, users can feel reassured that their future travel companion has passed a series of strict security checks before taking on a ‘verified member’ status. Verified members can enjoy the benefits of direct messaging and appearing higher in user searches, with VIP membership costing from as little as 40p per day when you sign up for a six month membership.
TourBar’s Public Relations Manager, Anastasia Zolotova, added: “Last year we saw huge numbers of visitors going to the Indian Ocean to visit destinations such as Indonesia, the Philippines and the Maldives to embrace their world class diving and surfing. 2015 is a big year for sport with events such as The Rugby World Cup, The Tour De France and the FIFA Women’s World Cup all taking place over the next eight months. We’re expecting to see big spikes in the number of our members looking to travel to the UK, France and Canada to tie in with the events.”
“One of the great things about meeting a partner through sport is that couples already have a common interest, so we want to encourage all sports fans desperate to see their idols triumph this year, to sign up for free to TourBar and meet someone looking to do just the same.”
Photo Caption: Courtesy of Four Seasons, Maldives
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
