Bengalureans sign up for active getaways

Fitness enthusiasts are seeking holidays built around workouts, races and demanding activities

The ‘Ultrahuman HYROX’ event, which was held on April 11 and 12, at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre, drew over 8,000 participants, who each spent about Rs 9,000 to participate. 

The unprecedented success of events like Hyrox has highlighted the growing awareness of fitness among Bengalureans, who have no qualms about parting with a significant amount of money to put their body through the paces. 

Another trend that has seen steady growth in the last few years is that of fitness travel. Fitness enthusiasts have been organising their holidays around activities tailored to their interests. 

Prashanth Ponappa, who runs a gym in Domlur, was among the thousands who participated in the recent Hyrox event. However, it was not his first rodeo. In late March, he travelled to Bangkok to participate in another Hyrox event. The race has also taken him to Mumbai and Delhi. “The first Hyrox event I went to had about 1,500 participants, and the latest one had over 8,000,” he notes, adding that the popularity of Hyrox is owing to its “simple movements which are doable for all fitness levels”. 

When media professional Nasreen Patel travelled to Bali in November 2025, she picked a hotel close to a fitness centre she had wanted to try out. “I had heard so much about it and done a fair bit of research,” recalls the 38-year-old.

While hitting the beach was definitely on the cards, she was equally looking
forward to the centre’s spinning, strength, and pilates classes. She also signed up for surfing lessons. “It was for my birthday, and I wanted to do a solo trip that was meaningful for me,” says Nasreen. She notes that fitness hotels, where training sessions are a main part of their packages, are gaining popularity. 

On the putting green

Apart from endurance training, tourism centred around a specific sport is also picking up in Bengaluru. Golfing enthusiast K S Vasanthkumar travelled with a group of 12 to Antalya, Turkey, in 2025 with the sole agenda of golfing in the region’s courses. “Antalya has 25 courses, and each one is unique. Over eight days, we played in six different courses,” he recalls, adding that the cost was roughly Rs 3.5-4 lakh per person. The toughest was a link course, near the ocean. “The winds were strong, so reading the wind and playing your shots accordingly added another layer of complication,” he notes, adding that his passion for the game has also taken him to Vietnam and Thailand. 

The group booked the tour through a travel company that specialises in golf tourism. “Everything from the airport to hotel transfers, to the pickup and drop from the hotel to the golf courses and back were taken care of by them, as were all our meals,” he shares.

Rishabh Malhotra, founder of a fitness centre in Bengaluru, completed the annual Transcontinental Race in 2017. Back then, travel for fitness was unheard of, he says. “I think I was the only Indian in the race, which sees 100s of cyclists, traversing through 8-10 European countries with no support. Unlike the Tour De France, where players have backup, on this race, you’re on your own,” he explains.

Participants generally cycle for 18-20 hours a day for 8-9 days and sleep when they can. He recalls sneaking in quick naps on park benches and footpaths. He would check into a hotel only when he had to recharge his electronic devices. “In 2017, it cost about Rs 10,000 to sign up for the race,” he shares.

Marathon majors

Active Holiday Company, based in Bengaluru, organises holidays around the Abbott World Marathon Majors and the SuperHalfs. The former includes the Tokyo, Boston, London, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago, and New York marathons. The latter is a series of half-marathons in locations like Lisbon, Prague, Berlin and Copenhagen.

Gauri Jayaram, the founder and a marathoner herself, felt the need for such a niche back in 2013, when she set up the company. “I knew there would be a market for it in the near future,” she states. However, she admits that the first few years were dry. “2019 was our first profitable year. Of course, the pandemic brought business to a standstill. But after 2021, it has been unprecedented, until the start of the West Asia crisis in February this year,” she explains. Accommodation, guaranteed race entry and networking events are some of the features the company offers. 

Gauri notes that fitness travel has seen a massive growth post the pandemic. “We’ve seen a 50% year-on-year growth,” says Gauri, who is currently at the London Marathon, with over 200 of her clients. “In 2013, our first group trip had about 10 participants,” she recalls.