“GOLF IS ONE OF THE MOST PROFITABLE TOURISM SEGMENTS FOR THE COSTA DEL SOL”.
Following Marcelo Molinari’s departure to private enterprise, Lynn Mitchell, a Scottish woman with extensive experience and many years of work at the Costa del Sol Tourist Board, has taken charge of the golf tourism segment, undoubtedly one of the most important in the province, on which the survival of the area depends to a large extent after the sun and beach seasons.
Lynn, who in 2009 received the Woman Manager of the Year award from ADEPMA (Asociación de Directivas, Empresarias y Profesionales, Mujeres de Andalucía), also continues to serve as Director of Business Development for Vacacional & Ocio.
-With your incorporation, will there be changes in the golf area or will you follow a policy of continuity?
-It should be pointed out that both Marcelo and I represent the interests of the sector and therefore the changes do not arise from a substitution, but because the sector recommends them to us. I have had the opportunity to meet, together with Marcelo, with the representatives of the golf segment and I have verified the results of this first year of operation with the new segmentation strategy and I consider that the work has been, in general, productive and profitable. Our challenge is to maximize results, optimizing resources, and I believe that in this sense we can continue to improve. In summary, there will be continuity with some modifications in those actions that do not achieve maximum profitability.
-Your knowledge of the world of golf is very broad and comes from way back, could you tell us what your promotion plan is for 2013?
-It is true that I have had a lot of contact with the world of golf, but many years ago and times have changed, but also in the tourism industry in general. One of the big challenges is to ensure an optimal online presence, and with our project for a specialized golf portal, we will be working in this direction. The role of communication today is paramount and we want to work with the specialized media, golf associations and tour operators to ensure maximum dissemination of the destination, both on and offline.
-Have you thought about opening new markets or focusing more on the traditional ones?
-We must never stop working our traditional markets. We have a magnificent offer, I would say the best in the Mediterranean area, but it is not exclusive, and competition is strong. We have to fight constantly to maintain a leading position. On the other hand, we have identified markets with potential for growth, not necessarily new ones, and they need special treatment, pampering, to cultivate this potential. I am referring to markets such as Russia, the Czech Republic, even Switzerland and some others in our natural environment, as well as the United States and Canada.
-What new promotion formulas do you plan to use?
-Following the recommendations of our partners and our clients, we have to analyze formulas that work well in other destinations. It is not a question of inventing the wheel, nor is this the time for experiments, but rather of incorporating techniques that have proven to be effective and profitable. To this end, we have real experts in the golf sector who are part of the golf work table. Not only do we have their experience and input, but also their active collaboration in creating the marketing plan and overseeing its execution. We have a fantastic platform with IAGTO, although we are not taking full advantage of it…. We have to work a lot more on communication, there is a role to fill, creating news and disseminating it to both professional associations and the end consumer.
-Do you think that the effort made by public administrations to promote golf is sufficient or do you think that more resources should be allocated?
-I think we should devote more resources, make the maximum effort possible, because golf is one of the most profitable segments, since the golfer is one of the best clients of the Costa del Sol in terms of spending capacity. And not only because of its profitability, but also because the golf offer of the Costa del Sol is the best at a holiday level in Europe. It is necessary to promote it to the maximum because it will also have a domino effect on the rest of the segments.
-What is the best thing about the Costa del Sol destination?
-The best thing is undoubtedly the climate, this luminosity is unique, and there is also the friendliness and character of the people, the professionalism and experience in the tourism sector, and the ability to reinvent itself. There are few destinations where you can see this constant evolution and adaptation of products.
-And the worst part?
If there is a weakness, it is perhaps the lack of long-term planning. This has been a very dynamic and very profitable industry, and I understand that development has at times been ahead of planning. In cycles when activity is down is when you have to take advantage to plan well for the future, and I think that in the past this has not been done.
-Do we continue to maintain our status as the best destination in Europe or are our competitors starting to overtake us?
-We continue to maintain that status and even regain a prestige that may have been in danger when prices were raised. In any case, competition is very strong and we must not let our guard down at any time. You have to fight and improve every day.
-In your opinion, do politicians, in general, consider the golf tourism segment as it deserves or not?
-I think there is a high awareness on the part of the political class, and not from one or two years ago, but for a longer period of time. At the national, regional, provincial and municipal levels, there is a sensitivity towards golf tourism.
-It seems that 2012 has been a little better than previous years, when do you foresee a definitive recovery of the sector?
-If I had a crystal ball…. The important thing is that we have the capacity to resist whatever they throw at us and I think we are well positioned to resist. We must plan well to optimize our resources when the growth stage comes again.
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