“The quality of the courses is one of the main guarantees of the international prestige of the Costa del Sol”.
The manager of the Costa del Sol Tourist Board, Arturo Bernal Bergua, assures that golf is a fundamental segment in the Costa del Sol’s tourist offer and that the entity he directs is aware that it must support it decisively for that reason and for its high growth potential.
-The Costa del Sol is the leading golf tourist destination in Europe. What promotional strategies is the Tourist Board contemplating for this segment so that we can continue to maintain our leadership?
-The Costa del Sol’s strategy with regard to the golf segment is to make the excellence of the province’s offer more visible. In the last decade there has been a certain push from competing destinations, such as Portugal or Turkey, and from the Malaga-Costa del Sol Tourist Board we are committed to strengthening marketing and communication policies so that the province’s golfing wealth acquires greater visibility. Of course, without forgetting other promotional activities, attendance at fairs, professional conferences or familiarization trips, which have given us so good results to date.
-The figures for tourists and hotel occupancy on the Costa del Sol are very positive this year. Is this upward trend also being noticed on the golf courses?
-In golf and in the rest of the segments. We are observing a generalized increase that leads us to forecast a growth in the number of total tourists of 7.6% for this summer, when we expect 5.6 million visitors. In addition, for the whole of 2014 we are predicting the arrival of 10 million travelers with all motivations (not only golf), when 9.5 million arrived in 2013.
-How has the promotion of a tourist destination changed or is changing with the increasing use of social networks?
-Not all destinations are reacting in the same way to the impulse of new technologies. One of the strongest bets of the Costa del Sol for this year is, precisely, in favor of adapting to the new uses of the tourist of the XXI century. In this sense, we have been working since the beginning of the year on the 3.0 Strategy, which we presented at Fitur, and which includes communication and marketing actions aimed at meeting the needs of a tourist who is already fully connected to the Internet and its different communication channels. But, in addition, our commitment to social networks is experiencing a strong boost this year with the opening of new profiles in markets such as Russia and with the promotion of engagement in existing national and foreign networks. In fact, the channels of the different profiles we have in the United Kingdom, Germany and the Nordic countries will have a greater volume of specific content on the golf segment.
-In your opinion, does the private initiative do enough to promote golf in Costa del Sol?
-The province’s private initiative is well aware that promotion is a fundamental element in the evolution of any destination. Our working groups, in which the different companies of the segment are represented, collaborate intensively in the action plan of the Tourist Board and provide market knowledge without which it would be impossible to maintain the leading position that the Costa del Sol holds.
-It is obvious that we have to take care of the traditional golf tourist source markets that nourish the Costa del Sol (British, German, Nordic, Spanish…), but what is being done to try to attract visitors from other countries?
-As I was saying before, the commitment is generalized to all potential markets, for example, with the development of social networks in countries such as Russia. In addition, this year’s action plan includes specific actions in the markets you have just mentioned, but also in others such as Switzerland, Austria, Eastern European countries and the USA, where, for example, we have just been present at the North American IAGTO Convention.
– Do the golf courses in Costa del Sol, in general, have the quality that this destination requires?
-No doubt. The quality of the Costa del Sol’s facilities has become one of the main guarantees of its international prestige. In quantity we have the highest density of golf courses in southern Europe and in quality we have facilities for all tastes: learning, professional and internationally renowned that have proven their ability to host major tournaments worldwide.
-Assuming you have time left to practice, how is your golf going?
Well, definitely not going. The management of the Tourist Board and a large family leave me little time to enjoy what has always been my favorite sport, which I began to practice 34 years ago with Juan and Miguel Angel Jimenez at the Torrequebrada Golf Club. From time to time, I kill the bug in one of the driving ranges in Malaga hitting a couple of buckets of balls. I suppose that later on I will be able to take it up again. That is my wish, of course.
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