Spain first in Europe

Spanish golf remains a favourite.

Spain has remained as the No. 1 travel destination for golf, a new study of European golfers has revealed. The survey included people from the UK, France, Germany and Scandinavia, with more than 28% of respondents playing golf in the country over the past 12 months.

The survey was produced by Sports Marketing Surveys Inc and was commissioned by Reed Travel Exhibitions, the organisers of International Golf Travel Market. It found that of the 28.5% of golfers who travelled to Spain to play golf, 12.7% went to the Costa del Sol, 3.9% went to the Costa Brava region, 3.2% visited the Canary Islands and 8.7% went to other areas.

The research also revealed the popularity of other destinations with 17% visiting Portugal, 16.1% travelling to Great Britain & Ireland, 7.5% booking trips to Turkey, 7.1% visiting France and 6.9% booking long-haul golf trips to the USA.

The survey also revealed that a golfer’s nationality impacts on the region they are most likely to visit, with British and Scandinavian golfers preferring the Costa del Sol; French golfers more likel to visit Costa Brava; and German golfers travellling to all regions, including the Canary Islands.

Some of the key contributing factors that put Spain ahead of its rivals was the standard and range of the country’s golf courses, consistent levels of high quality accommodation and the favourable year-round climate.

The average duration for a Spanish golf trip is seven nights with golf visitors predominantly staying in four and five-star accommodation and playing an average of five or six rounds of golf.

Peter Grimster, IGTM exhibition manager, said: “This latest study proves that Spain remains at the heart of the European golf tourism industry and illustrates why thousands of golfers still put its golfing regions at the top of their wish list.”

Full, detailed versions of this report are available direct from Sports Marketing Surveys Inc. sportsmarketingsurverysinc.com.

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