The recognitions received by the Costa del Sol as Best European Golf Destination 2019 by IAGTO, and being Germany’s exclusive PGA Official Golf Destination in Continental Europe, have reinforced the positioning that the Costa del Sol has in the golf segment and also in the German market, one of the priorities for the destination.
Special attention deserves the promotion of the golf segment in this market and in this sense it must be said that Costa del Sol tourism has strengthened ties with the PGA of Germany, being appointed as the exclusive Official Golf Destination of PGA Germany in Continental Europe. It should be noted that the Costa del Golf is one of the most important leading destinations, with an offer of more than 70 courses and a segment that generates an economic benefit of 900 million euros per year.
“The synergies established with the PGA of Germany are aimed primarily at spreading the image of the Costa del Golf as a leading destination in Continental Europe, and boosting the flow of golfers to the Costa del Sol destination,” explained the general director of Costa del Sol Tourism, Arturo Bernal, who has highly valued the intense relations with the German golf sector.
According to PGA data, the German amateur player takes an average of two getaways and one longer golf trip, and the Pro’s recommendations are highly respected. In addition, the Pro frequently organizes his own trip with a group of students, being an opinion leader who carries weight in the German market. The groups are about 6 to 8 members and spend on average 2.8 times more than the normal tourist budget “so it is a very interesting potential customer for the destination” as Bernal explained.
The PGA of Germany has 40 collaborators from the German golf sector, some of them coming from other parts of Europe, offering an important network of contacts with the industry. In addition, thanks to the participation this year of the Costa del Sol in the PGA of Germany, has managed to promote all the golf courses, resorts, hotels and complementary services of Costa del Sol – Costa del Golf, highlighting the renowned courses in the area of Sotogrande.
The German market is very important for the Costa del Sol and in this sense the entity will invest half a million euros in actions for the promotion of this market during 2019, 25% more than in 2018. Among the main actions that will be carried out this year in this market, attendance at fairs, press trips, online actions and presence at events stand out.
According to the general manager of the entity, Arturo Bernal, “the keys that have served to consolidate the prestige of the Costa del Sol as one of the reference destinations for golf are the quantity and quality of infrastructure for the practice of this sport, in addition to the magnificent connectivity and a multitude of complementary services to meet the needs of increasingly demanding visitors.
The objective of these specialized actions in the golf segment in which the Costa del Sol has participated in Germany this year has been, according to Bernal, “to promote the marketing of this segment and present, at the same time, the many possibilities that the Costa del Sol offers for the practice of this sport throughout the year”.
Likewise, we have managed to strengthen commercial relations with senior executives of the most important tour operators “to whom we have conveyed very directly the enormous potential of our destination in relation to the golf segment in the same way that we have worked very directly with these important opinion leaders,” added Arturo Bernal.
Turismo Costa del Sol participated in the annual meeting of the PGA of Germany and was the only destination present as the main collaborator. A networking meeting where many professional contacts were made and that is giving the entity a great visibility as it includes marketing activities and certain advertising campaigns in which the Costa del Sol has a special role.
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