In the latest edition of The Economist, the magazine is reporting how badly is the recession hurting Europe’s tourism industry. Yes it is true that in Europe's most popular tourism destination countries like Italy, France and Spain, the tourism industry declining by double digit percentage, but at the very same time the domestic tourism is flourishing. In the Netherlands the share of all-inclusive packages reached 72% (from 70%). In Belgium the recession's positive result is the increased demand for luxury holiday houses. In Italy every second person will choose "last minute" solutions (just like before) and shortens the length of holidays.
Now let's see what this can bring to local golf courses and to those golf courses that are not in the Euro zone. Those who are most effected they will start to discover their own golf courses and may be those Eastern European golf courses like Krakow Valley Golf Club (that was designed by Golfplan.com). People should start to think where they can take advantage of a strong Euro or USD. Hungary (with 7 golf courses with 18 holes) can be a true beneficiary due to the weak Forint. At the same the golf course owners will be obliged to revise their fees and think about more promotion packages.