Rob Horgan
AS the Costa del Sol’s golfers gear up for another year on the greens, the region’s tourism experts are tapping into an emerging market.
The keen coastal golfers dusting off their caddy bags and polishing their irons could soon be joined on the fairways by a large German contingent.
A €63,000 plan to strengthen Andalucia’s golfing appeal to the German market has been set in motion by Minister of Tourism Luciano Alonso.
“The plan consists of several performance-based schemes exclusively designed to target the golf tourism industry in Germany,” he said.
“A total of 840 golf clubs and over 650,000 federated players, half of which usually travel at least once a year to practice this sport, will be targeted as part of the scheme.”
Alongside attracting more German golfers to Spanish shores, the scheme also aims to improve wholesaler relationships between the two European countries.
Tournament sponsorship proposals and specialised fairs between Germany and Spain are to be tabled by the Royal Spanish Golf Federation at a meeting in London, UK.
I thought they all went to Mallorca and Ibiza, where everyone speaks German. Apparently, there are 27 courses there. Still, it’s no secret that our tourist experts know so much more about us foreigners than we do.