“We have achieved a high degree of loyalty among the tourists who visit us thanks to our golf.”
Margarita del Cid, president of the Association of Municipalities of the Western Costa del Sol, with a degree in Law, talks in this interview about golf and the supra-municipal entity she presides. Support for major tournaments, irrigation with recycled water and the tourist aspect of golf are some of the issues addressed.
-The Costa del Sol is once again hosting a major tournament of the European Tour, in this case the Women’s Tour, with the celebration of the Spanish Open, sponsored among others by the Association of Municipalities of the Western Costa del Sol, which you preside. What factors have been taken into account when deciding to support this tournament?
-We cannot forget that the Costa del Sol is one of the destinations with the highest density of golf courses in Europe and that from the Mancomunidad we cannot ignore the flow of foreign and domestic visitors who come to enjoy this sport. In addition, it is a very important aspect to take into account in order to break the tourist seasonality and what better than to support one of the major events in this discipline, which will give coverage of the Costa del Sol at international level.
From the Mancomunidad we aim to offer a varied tourist offer that combines gastronomy, leisure, sports, etc., which makes the 11 municipalities that form it have all kinds of activities.
-Women’s golf is gaining more and more importance in both the professional and amateur fields, and the Costa del Sol is home to outstanding figures in this sport such as professionals Azahara Muñoz and Noemí Jiménez and amateur María Parra, currently number two in the world ranking. Do you think this means that golf on the Costa del Sol is in good health?
-Undoubtedly, we have a leading position in golf tourism, which is also in continuous growth. The loyalty of users together with our fantastic climate, the quality of the courses and the variety of them are key factors when choosing the Costa del Sol as a destination to enjoy this sport. In fact, the Costa del Sol is also called “Costa del Golf”.
Let me remind you that our facilities are chosen to host major events, tournaments and competitions such as the Spanish Women’s Open that will take place in September.
-With more than 70 courses, the Costa del Sol is the leading golf tourist destination in Europe. What do you think needs to be done to maintain this leadership?
-Fortunately, we have an excellent base, since our facilities have been designed by the best professionals in the sector, and some of the courses have even been designed by top level golfers.
The union and effort of public and private initiative is essential to continue in the line of commitment to this sector. We have excellent professionals who are in charge of the management of the different golf courses that make up the Costa del Sol and also offer variety in terms of supply, with 9 and 18-hole courses, with various difficulties for athletes … To this we must add that the hotels have adapted to meet the demand that is very diverse; we even have hotels specializing in golf.
I would also like to highlight the joint work between administrations such as the Mancomunidad and Turismo Costa del Sol.
-The Mancomunidad that you preside is made up of several of the municipalities with the most golf courses in Spain. How does this public body approach the promotion of this tourist segment?
-That’s right, Marbella is the municipality in Spain with the largest number of golf courses, as well as Mijas, Benahavís and Estepona.
We can not ignore the relationship between tourism and golf, therefore, the Association of Municipalities of the Costa del Sol has in tourism the obligation of transparency in the management of this competence, which, by turnover, is one of the most for us. Likewise, the promotion and encouragement of tourism is combined with the search for agreements with other provincial, regional and national organizations, and as far as golf is concerned we support the work being done in this area so important for the daily life of the Mancomunidad and its municipalities.
An essential help when promoting golf, is that we have achieved a high degree of loyalty among tourists who decide to visit us thanks to our golf. The figures corroborate this, and at least eight out of ten travelers return to choose us as a destination to enjoy this sport and our facilities.
-The golf segment has a notable importance in the tourism sector of the western Costa del Sol, especially in the autumn and winter months thanks to golfers from different European countries. Do you think that politicians, in general, are aware of the relevance of golf as a tourist resource?
Of course, we cannot forget that from the entity that I preside we make a strong commitment to the sector, we go to national fairs such as FITUR or international as the World Travel Market, with different alternatives and proposals in which golf is not lacking, in addition to know first hand the news, the needs … of the sector. The golf tourist has a very varied origin, especially from the United Kingdom, Germany, Scandinavia and Ireland, so we understand that it is a tourist resource that produces many benefits in our municipalities, therefore, we are constantly working to improve and continue in the line of being a benchmark as a consolidated destination.
-Is this the best argument to counteract the criticisms made by some environmental groups about the high water consumption required by golf?
For our part, Acosol is clearly committed to sustainable tourism and respect for the environment. Proof of this are the services provided in the eleven municipalities of the association with the reuse of recycled water for irrigation use in golf courses and also in landscaped areas.
We currently serve about 50 golf courses on the Western Costa del Sol, almost all of the existing ones. And we continue working to improve our services.
The service of irrigation with recycled water to golf courses so far in 2016 has increased by about 400,000 m3 more supply compared to the same date last year.
-What are the advantages of the Costa del Sol as a golf tourist destination compared to its most direct competitors: Portugal, Turkey, Morocco and other Spanish destinations?
First of all, our fantastic climate that allows us to enjoy golf most days of the year, the wide range of leisure, gastronomic and even cultural offerings in addition to the first class golf facilities.
We have a wide variety of courses that appeal to both professionals and beginners, each course is different and they are designed in a way that respects nature and in most cases, are part of it.
-What is the quality of the recycled water supplied by Acosol and what volume does it treat annually?
Acosol takes into account that the golf segment plays a fundamental and essential role in the deseasonalization of the tourist destination, a key piece of the socio-economic engine of the area, hence the importance that Acosol gives to support the work developed by the golf courses in the Western Costa del Sol.
In 2015 Acosol supplied the golf courses with some 6 million cubic meters of reclaimed water and continues to work within its commitment to nature and the environment, in a tourism model promoted by the Association of Municipalities of the Western Costa del Sol that combines quality and respect for the environment.
With respect to the quality of reclaimed water used for irrigation, Acosol relies on Royal Decree 1620/2007, of December 7, which determines the requirements necessary to carry out the activity of using reclaimed water, the procedures for obtaining the concession required by law and the provisions relating to the permitted uses and quality requirements in each case.
-In your opinion, is the private initiative doing enough to promote golf in Costa del Sol?
-The success story of the Costa del Sol has to do with this issue, have always gone hand in hand both the private and public sector, so we are pleased that the Board collaborates and supports golf, for the wealth and employment it generates for Andalusia and Malaga. Without the collaboration and quality of the private sector on our coast, we would not be such a consolidated destination.
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