Some of us have already heard that the Lumine Golf & Beach Club has got a new Chief Business Director: Agustin Garcia Pascual.
He replaced Calle Carlsson who moves on after 10 years at the resort.
He joins the company with a dedicated passion for golf and real estate having worked in the industry for over 20 years, managing some of Spain’s finest golf and leisure facilities (e.g. PGA Catalunya Resort, Real Golf de Pedreña).
He is also one of the founders of the Royal Spanish Golf Federation. That’s why I was curious about what are his plans at Lumine Golf & Beach Club. Enjoy my interview!
What motivated you to accept your new position as the Chief Business Officer at Lumine Golf & Beach Club?
I have always enjoyed and performed better working under circumstances, or with projects, which are required to have a mid to long term visions.
Job roles that require a lot of time and passion, not only into creating a concept but into developing a team and infrastructure to support it.
When Lumine Golf & Beach Community offered me the position, I felt extremely lucky.
Becoming part of what I think is the most ambitious Golf, Beach and Residential project in Europe at the moment, this project has everything that someone with my background and experience could be looking for.
What makes this position different from being the managing director of PGA Catalunya Resort?
I don’t think my role will be too different, but I think all the experience that I achieved during my 11 years over there, will be very helpful in this new position.
I have fantastic memories from my time at PGA Catalunya Resort and still have many friends holding senior management positions there.
For a long time, I considered that place as my baby, bearing in mind that I joined as a Managing Director of that project more than a year before it was even opened to the public.
However the potential that Lumine Golf & Beach Community has, is at least as tremendous as the one I saw back then in Girona.
Lumine´s year-round weather, proximity to Barcelona, fantastic Beach Club, three great golf courses (which perfectly complement each other), delicious gastronomy options, residencies currently in development and all the different additions to the Resort that we will be announcing at their due time, really makes the potential of this project a one of a kind opportunity anywhere in Europe.
What do you think when will inbound golf tourism return to business as usual in Spain? Can it be the same again or we can expect a major change?
Since this situation that we are experiencing is new for all of us, it’s difficult to make a prediction, but I am a strong believer that golf, not only will return to business as usual in Spain but in a short period of time we will see growth after all this is over.
I think people’s perception during this confining period is changing, everyone is now appreciating more than ever the benefits of living in the nature, spending their time in the fresh air, walking through trees away from crowds, and spending it with friends and family.
I really think that the majority of golfers will be desperate to get playing again, either on the range or out on course.
We hope that with the development announcements which are upcoming, there will be a shift to living on a golf resort too, especially one as good as Lumine.
What are your planned investments for the coming year(s)?
We are currently putting together a very important improvement plan for all the facilities we currently have at the Resort, including golf courses, practice facilities, clubhouses, and the Beach Club.
We have started phase one of our construction plans for a new residential development whilst finalizing a very ambitious Master Plan for the rest of the Resort – news which will be announced in the near future.
How do you help your employees during the coronavirus? (FYI: Accor had set up a €70m fund for employees, paid for with 25% of the group’s planned dividend)
We had to necessarily by law, send all to our employees to their homes until it is safe to return. By law, the government provides business with options suggesting employees receive 70% of their monthly salaries.
Our company decided from day one, to respect all our employees’ contracts, we would pay 100% of their wages.
Is there any business potential in tee time marketplaces like Greenfee365 in Spain?
Yes, definitely. Online tee time reservations have still plenty of room for growth in Spain, it’s funny to see how daily life activity includes online booking for car hire, hotel rooms, airplane tickets, etc…yet it has taken us so long to get used to booking golf green fees online.