The North-East is an area of Scotland that is thriving and a new public and private partnership has been formed with the aim of adding £30million to the value of golf tourism in the region by 2020.
Named the Golf Tourism Alliance, the main objective is to help boost the number of visitors to Aberdeenshire to play the wide range of top quality golf on offer throughout the area.
One club that has definitely got the right strategy to attract new visitors is Meldrum House Country Hotel and Golf Course, which has experienced a massive boost to the golf side of its business.
It has revealed that year-on-year bookings at the 18-hole championship course are up by an incredible 400%.
Peter Walker, manager at Meldrum House, explained that the massive hike in numbers not only reflects a huge surge of interest in the game of golf but also the hotel’s growing reputation as a golf retreat.
He said: “The figures are remarkable - they’ve smashed all previous records which is exceptional. These are exciting times for the golf industry in the north-east and across Scotland generally.” “The Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Royal Aberdeen next year will only bolster interest which is something to look forward to.
“But our championship golf course and world-class academy are already attracting golfers to explore this area.”
With numerous highly respected top-quality golf courses in a 15 mile radius, including Trump International, Cruden Bay, Murcar Links and Royal Aberdeen, it’s easy to see why the north-east is growing in popularity with golfers throughout Europe.
The Golf Tourism Alliance is hoping to capitalise on this excellent opportunity for the region and has been created following findings in the ‘Future of Golf for Aberdeen City and Shire’ report published earlier this year that highlighted the potential to boost visitor spending from £20million to over £50million by 2020.
Hector Emslie, of Golfers Scotland, will lead the contract with his Banchory-based team and he added: “The north-east offers a magnificent range of value for money courses as well as the best links golf in the world.
“There is an ever-increasing demand for golf from visitors from all over the UK and overseas. Our aim is to make Aberdeen the first choice golf destination of the future.”
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