Winter Olympics: Which sports do Europeans prefer?

Italy is gearing up for a massive tourism boost for the upcoming Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Milan and Cortina.

The event, starting tomorrow (two days before the opening ceremony), is expected to draw up to two million visitors, according to the Italian government.

With the Games looming, data shows a 20% year-on-year spending growth at Italian ski resorts: the highest, level with Austria, among Europe’s top winter destinations.

That’s according to a VISA report shared with Europe in Motion relative to the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 winter seasons.

Spending also significantly increased in France (15%), Switzerland (10%) and Norway (10%). Sports aside, tourists like to splurge most on restaurants (19%), ranking higher than hotels (17%) and groceries (9%).

Although the market is still looking profitable, other data suggests winter sports are increasingly becoming a niche activity. Italy’s hotel trade association, Federalberghi, for example, recentlydenounced a drop of almost 4 million visitors between 2023 and 2025.

More than half of them, they said, gave up because of financial reasons.

Which winter sports do Europeans prefer?

Nevertheless, many Europeans still like to get away for the winter. You’re most likely to come across German tourists during the colder months: 80% of them like to spend the winter holidays abroad, followed by the Austrians (45%), according to VISA.

At the same time, the Alps are not an option for the Finns, who like to ski domestically. Poles, too, stay local (90%), and the majority of the French stay in France (85%) — which also happens to be the Brits’ favourite destination.

Most UK tourists actually prefer ice skating (47%) to skiing, a passion shared with the Hungarians (51%), while their Romanian neighbours are fans of dogsledding (51%).

All other surveyed European countries have a preference for skiing, with the highest rate in Austria (63%). Americans, meanwhile, tend to go for snowboarding.

Olympic controversy

There’s a palpable buzz building ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony at Milan’s Giuseppe Meazza Stadium — widely known as San Siro — featuring performances by Mariah Carey, Andrea Bocelli and Laura Pausini.

However, the event also sparked controversy following the news that agents from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are expected to set foot in Italy during the Olympics.

The agents faced a widespread backlash in the US after their involvement in an anti-illegal migration operation in Minneapolis, where two civilians were fatally shot, fuelling protests and debates over the agency’s tactics.

Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi confirmed ICE’s presence but specified it will only serve as intelligence support for the US diplomatic and Olympic delegation in Italy.

Organisers have also come under fire over construction delays at the Santagiulia Hockey Arena in Milan, and the lack of dedicated car parks for staff.