“GOLF IS ONE OF THE ENGINES OF THE ECONOMY IN ANDALUSIA”.
He is moderately optimistic about the prospects of the Andalusian tourism sector for 2014, after a good year in which hotel overnight stays have increased by 4 percent over the previous year. Francisco Artacho, managing director of the public company Turismo y Deporte de Andalucía, talks about the present and future of tourism activity in the autonomous community, in which golf plays an important role.
-In 2013 Andalusia has grown in number of visitors and tourism revenues. Are we clearly in a recovery in this sector? What are the prospects for the Ministry of Tourism in the short and medium term?
The evolution of tourism performance in Andalusia has exceeded our expectations and those of the sector and augurs well for a positive year-end. Our forecasts for the year as a whole include a growth of around 4% in hotel overnight stays. The good results obtained show the strength and solvency of our destination and make the tourism industry one of the keys, undoubtedly, for the recovery of the economy, but there are still areas to improve which are, moreover, essential for the total recovery. One of them is employment. And that is where we must now focus all our attention and increase our efforts.
-The fight against seasonality is one of the premises of the Andalusia Tourism Promotion Plan for 2014. What role does the golf segment play in this “battle”?
-Golf tourism plays an important role as a segment with great capacity to deseasonalize tourism. It is also one of the engines of the economy in Andalusia for the number of jobs it generates and its economic impact, both direct and indirect. And not only that, golf is a very consolidated segment in Andalusia, which continues to have a relevant and referential position; a great ally when it comes to attracting visitors in mid or low season.
-In the Andalusian budget for 2014, tourism has been the least affected ministry, with a 1.3% reduction compared to the previous year, when the average is 3.5%. Does this mean that the Andalusian government is aware of the importance of this sector for the region’s economy?
-Of course he is aware of it. In fact, the budget has remained at a similar amount to 2013, since it decreases just 1.2%, below the average of the regional accounts. And this is a true reflection of the significance and importance of the matters we manage in this Ministry, tourism and trade, key sectors in the Andalusian economy, as they account for about 22% of regional GDP and nearly one million direct and indirect jobs.
-What budget does the Junta de Andalucía contemplate for the promotion of this tourist destination during 2014 and what percentage of that money is destined to the golf segment?
-The promotion and marketing of Andalusia as a tourist destination is one of the pillars of the budget of our Ministry and under the framework of the new Tourism Promotion Master Plan we will work to consolidate the position of our destination in the markets and we will highlight the lesser known attractions. To this end, we will dedicate an amount of some 35 million euros, always under the premise of optimizing resources. As for the percentage dedicated to golf, we cannot specify it yet, as we are still working on the 2014 Action Plan and the Board’s budget is still pending final approval.
-What kind of golf promotion actions are planned in the Tourism Promotion Plan for 2014?
-As I mentioned before, we are still working on the Plan, but I can tell you that the golf promotion actions planned for 2014 will be in line with those of 2013, with actions aimed at both the end public and professionals (trade fairs, golf tournaments, sponsorships, trade missions, reverse actions, consumer actions, etc.). In addition, in 2014 we will also sponsor the Women’s British Open at Royal Birkdale (Liverpool).
-Apart from the traditional golf markets, do you plan to promote in emerging markets?
-In principle, yes, but we have not closed anything yet. In 2013 we have carried out promotions of the golf segment in several countries considered “emerging”, specifically, we have been present in Hungary, Czech Republic and Bulgaria. Apart from that, actions have been carried out in Spain (in collaboration with the Royal Golf Federation, both Spanish and Andalusian), United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, France, Benelux, Nordic countries, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, United States and Canada. The 2014 Action Plan will be similar, in this sense, to that of 2013, although we are still working on it.
-Does the Department of Tourism plan to resume sponsorship of any major golf event in the immediate future?
-Tournaments and professional circuits are good platforms for the promotion of golf tourism for any destination, but in the short term we do not plan to resume any of them, as they are actions that require large investments that we do not have available in the current budgets. We are working on a new strategic line, which is committed to the development of actions aimed at identifying our potential customers and offering them what they demand, while prioritizing profitability in terms of investment/results. An example of this is the agreement that is being executed this year with the Royal Spanish Golf Federation or the actions carried out with specialized operators.
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