International visitors tee off at Scottish
Golf Tourism Week
Over 70 of the
world’s leading golf tour operators have arrived to meet face to face with the
courses and locations that make Scotland the home of the sport.
Yesterday the
Trump Turnberry Hotel hosted visitors who held over 3,500 meetings with golf
course and hotel exhibitors from Scotland, who expect that the events taking
place at Scottish Golf Tourism Week will attract further international golf tourists
in coming years.
Fraser Cromarty,
chief executive of the Nairn Golf Club, said it was his first time exhibiting
at Scottish Golf Tourism Week. The Highland golf stalwart, who took over the
top job at Nairn having moved from Castle Stuart Golf Links four years ago,
said Scottish Golf Tourism Week was a “fantastic” opportunity to meet new
buyers.
He said: “This is
a great event for Scotland and a fantastic initiative - we want to support
something like this in Scotland.
“There’s a lot of
new faces here. It shows you the new business that is available in the various
golf tour businesses around the world.
“I have already
met some potential new clients. Looking through my appointment sheet today most
of these are new. It is encouraging and quite exciting.”
Pam Smith, Captain
of Crail Golfing Society, has returned to Scottish Golf Tourism Week for a
second year. A historic course established in 1786, the club enjoyed a record
year this year, attracting more than 17,000 visitors to play at its two courses
located two miles east of Crail in Fife.
The society
benefits in attracting international visitors from its proximity to St Andrews
and Kingsbarns. About 40% of its business comes from international visitors and
Smith says that bookings are even further ahead already for 2018.
She said: “We had
a very positive result from attending Scottish Golf Tourism Week last year. At
the event people were checking for availability. This year feels very much the
same. We have a very busy schedule of appointments.”
She added: “We
are lucky but we are not complacent.
“We have already
met with two completely new tour operators, including one from India.
“It is also the
familiarisation trips. We had visitors to Crail yesterday and they loved it. He
said he’s definitely putting business our way. We would never have met him if
we weren’t at Scottish Golf Tourism Week this year.”
Maria Richardson,
of Spela Golf (Gailes Travel), arranges golf tours in Scotland, England, Wales
and Ireland for Scandinavian and US tour groups. It is the second year she has
attended Scottish Golf Tourism Week and on this time out she visited golf
courses in Ayrshire including Royal Troon and Prestwick golf clubs as well as a
number of “hotels and castles along the way”.
She said: “We
send thousands of people here every year. It is the home of golf.
“I am here to see
people I already know and find a few more hidden gems we hadn’t found before. I
have found a hotel that will be really good for us.”
Wayne Mordon, President
of Athlone Golf Tours based in Canada, puts together custom tours ranging in
price between £2,800-£3,000 for discerning North American golfers.
He said currency
exchange rates were making Scotland even more attractive to his clientele who
value Scottish tradition and its links course experiences.
He said: “The
things I tell people is it is less expensive to play in the UK than it has been
for 20 years. People don’t know that unless you tell them.”
His
familiarisation trip with Scottish Golf Tourism Week took him to St Andrews,
where he was able to visit hotel and accommodation providers and see where they
were in relation to the golf courses.
He said: “It was
great to see the accommodation side. We stopped by St Andrews University dorms,
to the Ardgowan to the Dunvegan hotels. It allows me to offer combinations, and
a range of options to where they can stay.
“It helps me
visually. What I have learned about this morning is some properties I wouldn’t
have considered are now in my arsenal of selling.”
He said events
such as Scottish Golf Tourism Week were essential to ensure Scotland retains
its premier position globally as the home of golf.
“To me what
Scottish Golf Tourism Week represents is Scotland is open for business rather
than assuming people will just go to Scotland. It is an important step.”
Tom Lovering, Director
of Scottish Golf Tourism Week, said that the event had brought operators that
were planning to increase their bookings to Scotland next year.
“We expect the
buyers here, several which are new to Scottish Golf Tourism Week, will book a
great deal more tours and facilities as a result of what they have seen here
this week. Scotland is the home of golf, but it is events such as Scottish Golf
Tourism Week which ensure we stay as a top global destination for the world’s
golfers.”
Malcolm Roughead,
Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said: “I’m delighted to hear the positive
feedback from buyers and exhibitors at Scottish Golf Tourism Week. This is a
fantastic opportunity for golf tourism businesses from across Scotland to meet
face to face with tour operators from across the globe, generating more
business and more visitors to Scotland.
“Golf tourism is
worth more than £286 million to Scotland annually and helps to support our
visitor economy, not just through golf courses but our hotels, bars,
restaurants and other tourism attractions.”
Scottish Golf
Tourism Week, supported by VisitScotland and Scottish Enterprise, continues and
culminates in the annual Scottish Golf Tourism Awards dinner on Thursday.
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