Last year PGA Catalunya Resort was awarded as ‘2015 Golf Resort of the Year for Europe‘ by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO). Now PGA Catalunya Resort proves that they have not received the recognition in vain.
PGA Catalunya Resort has enjoyed significant year-on-year increases in visitor numbers, driven by a 16% rise from the UK, a 7% increase from Switzerland and a 5% rise from both France and the Nordic countries. A similar growth was seen at a domestic level, with 5% more Spanish golfers booking rounds to play the two critically-acclaimed Tour and Stadium courses.
An interesting trend in golf tourism is the direct booking. This resulted a 31% year-on-year increase from the French market. I was not surprised at this result since it proves what Michael Galosso COO of Golfscape.com wrote in his guest post about the growing importance of shared economy, crowdsourcing in golf tourism.
Golf travel operators are in trouble in these days as customization and social recommendations are gaining momentum. According to ASTA’s 2013 Technology and Web Usage Report, 40% of travel agents don’t see social media as valuable. Why???
Quite a big money is at stake in the golf tourism industry: $20 Billion+. According to the ‘2014 Golf Tourism Report,’ 553 golf tour operators control more than 85% of the world’s golf holiday packages.
Miguel Girbes, Director of Golf at PGA Catalunya Resort believes that “Staging the European Tour’s 2014 Open de España undoubtedly created an important platform for us to elevate the resort’s status as a world-class venue and boost our reputation among international golfers. Being named Spain’s official candidate host venue for The 2022 Ryder Cup has also helped raise our profile in Europe, and beyond.”