This Company Has Mastered 2026 Money-Can’t-Buy Travel Trend: The “Passion Pursuit”

From cricket to concerts and F1, Man About Town journeys to Mumbai to see how Marriott Bonvoy is bringing its  members closer to what they love.

The boundary pit of Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, in the minutes leading up to the first ball of England’s debut 2026 T20 cricket fixture, is not where I had anticipated being on this February Sunday afternoon. It’s not lost on me that for the estimated 700+ million cricket devotees in the country I find myself in – not to mention some two billion globally – observing the team walkouts, flag ceremonies, pyrotechnics and other attendant pre-match rituals, from this vantage point, would be a once-in-a-lifetime, dream-realised kind of affair.

Flying out here specifically for the pleasure, as I have, is what the travel industry terms a “passion pursuit” (neatly explained, for the uninitiated, as: a travel experience embarked upon in service of a passion). Identified as a dominant 2026 travel trend in Marriott Bonvoy’s “Ticket to Travel” research last year, findings uncovered that among a sample of UAE holidaymakers, 84% were found to have already completed one such trip, and 23% do so multiple times per year. Regrettably, I only actually became a cricket convert at one of this tournament’s inaugural T20 matches the day prior. The starry opening ceremony pop spectacle from a coterie of India’s contemporary music icons lured me in, appealing to my more typical core interests, before I became hooked on titans of the game, India, as they contested a valiant USA side, winning by 29 runs on home soil. The unforeseen laser-laden EDM rave at halftime, additionally, sealed the deal, and my burgeoning new sporting love was off the ground.

Despite my passion very much being in its embryonic stages, the next day, by the time I’m on the boundary, steps away from the mascots of England’s opponents, Nepal, intricately assembling the country’s flag in the tunnel, before sweeping the pitch in a heartwarming show of sportsmanship – it would appear I’m officially on a passion pursuit of my own. The facilitators are Marriott Bonvoy, who have offered a small handful of press a front-row seat to witness the kind of experiences they present to their over 271 million members each year.

Despite my passion very much being in its embryonic stages, the next day, by the time I’m on the boundary, steps away from the mascots of England’s opponents, Nepal, intricately assembling the country’s flag in the tunnel, before sweeping the pitch in a heartwarming show of sportsmanship – it would appear I’m officially on a passion pursuit of my own. The facilitators are Marriott Bonvoy, who have offered a small handful of press a front-row seat to witness the kind of experiences they present to their over 271 million members each year.

In the realm of passion pursuits, you could consider Marriott Bonvoy dream-makers-in-chief. The award-winning platform’s raison d’être is bringing entertainment, sporting, arts, lifestyle, culinary and globetrotting enthusiasts closer to the experiences money can’t buy. Anchored to over 30 hotel brands and 10,000 destinations, a free membership allows travellers to accrue points as they take in new destinations, which can subsequently be used to unlock priceless adventures across all corners of the globe. With fan experiences encompassing the likes of F1, football and world-class concert events, the avenues of interest they sit primed to cater to appear infinite. My immersion into this particular bat-and-ball game is made possible by their freshly inked four-year partnership with the International Cricket Council as Official Accommodation Partner, an attachment that covers all ICC events – including, alongside the Men’s T20 World Cup, the Women’s T20 World Cup in the UK this summer, 2027’s ICC World Test Championship Final, the next ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2028, as well as the 2029 ICC Champions Trophy.

The itinerary I’m undertaking is akin to that of the “Ultimate Experience: Marriott Bonvoy Golden Ticket”, available to members in a sweepstake ahead of the tournament. As well as the aforementioned opportunity to gain pre-match access to the boundary pit, the package also offered a two-night stay at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel, a meal and spa session for two and exclusive access to the stadium’s premium hospitality suite. The latter, at times, could feel like the centrepiece detail – I was told by friends ahead of setting off from Heathrow on a sub-5°C winter evening, that the intensity of Mumbai’s heat at this time of year would prove muted. While meteorologically, that is grounded in fact, those estimations didn’t account for my Scottish shortcomings in weathering the sun’s rays, so the coveted option to retreat into the shaded lounge intermittently epitomises, in itself, money-can’t-buy ease. That’s without even diving into the panoply of local and international culinary offerings to be found once you’re inside.

This window into Marriott Bonvoy’s aptitude for executing a sporting fan experience with flair has prompted my thirst for more. For members similarly inclined, with more passions to nurture, their next flight might be headed stateside. As the Official Hotel Supporter for the North America FIFA World Cup, Marriott Bonvoy is promising unprecedented drops, immersive fan experiences and, of course, much-needed rest and recuperation between games at their dozens of properties in each of the 16 host cities. A trip to US shores could also be on the cards for those seeking live music in and around a summer that’s set to be defined by the beautiful game. Marriott Bonvoy’s partnership with entertainment powerhouse AEG connects it to a vast array of the world’s most sought-after musical moments. Coachella, the unofficial launch of the country’s festival season, saw Marriott Bonvoy front and centre in the desert, leaving indelible musical memories in the minds of fans by auctioning experiences for a mere one point, offering behind-the-scenes access and premium opportunities to witness the likes of Sombr, The Strokes and Justin Bieber play to the legions of fans who flocked to the valley playground. A partnership with Rock en Seine in Paris, as well as Celine Dion’s 10-night Parisian residency in early autumn, offers similarly prized opportunities for music lovers on the continent, as does Marriott Bonvoy’s pairing with All Points East as the 10-day festival arrives in Hackney once again in August.

Whether it is, indeed, music, football, F1 action or, like me, cricket – Marriott Bonvoy’s masterstroke is its ability to take you to places you hadn’t conceived possible. Now, does anyone know the way to Lord’s?

For more information on Marriott Bonvoy experiences, head to www.marriott.com