Probably, you have already heard that Troon has been selected to manage Yas Links. This is the 17th Troon managed venue in the MENA region.
Troon is not a newcomer in Abu Dhabi. They are already helping Abu Dhabi Golf Club and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, two of the most prestigious courses in the region.
These clubs were acquired in 2018 by Aldar Properties PJSC (USD10 billion in assets; 75 million sq. m land bank), which owns Yas Links.
Jassem Saleh Busaibe, Chief Executive Officer, Aldar Investments said
“Having seen the work that Troon have done with Abu Dhabi Golf Club and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club over the years, we have been very impressed with their expertise in agronomy and general golf operations, which has developed these clubs into worldwide icons that feature on the Ladies’ and Men’s European Tours….”
Yas Links & cruise tourism – Opportunity
I don’t want to repeat all those basic information about Yas Links that you already know.
Instead, draw your attention to another area of the inbound tourism that can give an opportunity to Yas Links to expand its list of offers.
But before that I would like to share with you some interesting insights about the local tourism industry:
- Abu Dhabi hosted 10.27 million visitors in 2018
- TOP 3 sources of tourism: 1. India, 2. China, 3. UK…..#4 USA, #5 Philippines,….#8 Germany.
- Yas Island provides 7% of the total room supply of Abu Dhabi.
- 5.04 million hotel guests in 2018 (+3.9%)
- 13 million hotel guest nights (+5) in 2018
- 350 000+ cruise visitors were in 2018.
The Cruise Lines International Association is expecting 30 million passengers globally in 2019. Twenty-four new ships will debut in 2019.
In 2017, the global impact of the cruise industry was $134 billion.
The Zayed Port’s new permanent cruise terminal is only 30 km from Yas Links. Abu Dhabi’s cruise season runs from October to May.
At Abu Dhabi Golf Club & Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, cca. 3% of their international visitors are from cruise ships.
I don’t want to reinvent the wheel, but I hope this will incite you to think about how to motivate cruise visitors (who are golfers at the same time) to visit Yas Links.