More than 500 European and Mediterranean golf tourism professionals are participating this week in the European convention of the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO), held in Marbella, a meeting that will consolidate the image of the town, the Costa del Sol and Marbella as a high-level destination in this segment.
The opening of the meeting was attended today by the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Victor Gonzalez, the mayor of Marbella, Angeles Muñoz, the director of Business Area of Costa del Sol Tourism, Renee Kachler, the president of the Royal Andalusian Golf Federation, Pablo Mansilla, and the president of IAGTO, Peter Walton.
At the beginning of the conference, the president of the association of golf tour operators has advanced that the 2024 edition will be held again in Andalusia, specifically in Malaga capital, making this city a permanent venue for the European convention every two years. Walton has highlighted the good expectations of the tour operators for this year.
This important event is held thanks to the collaboration of different institutions and their relationship with IAGTO and demonstrates the commitment of Marbella, Andalusia and the Costa del Sol for this segment, of high strategic value, because it contributes to the management of seasonality and has a significant economic impact.
On the Costa del Sol, the average golf tourist spends more than 1,800 euros, with an average daily expenditure of around 150 euros and a stay of 12.31 days. Consequently, the impact generated by golf in this destination amounts to 1,410 million euros in direct and indirect production, in addition to generating about 17,700 jobs.
In Andalusia as a whole, it is an activity that annually attracts nearly 600,000 travelers, attracted by the largest offer of courses in continental Europe, with more than a hundred facilities and a wide range of complementary proposals.
The IAGTO European Convention replicates the model of the Asian and North American conventions as a pre-scheduled tabletop appointment event, with two full days dedicated to meetings between buyers, suppliers, tourism organizations and service providers.
In addition, this forum takes place a few months before the celebration of the Solheim Cup, a tournament that in September will bring together on the Costa del Sol the main international figures of women’s golf, which will place Andalusia in the spotlight of golf fans around the world.
In parallel to the European convention of IAGTO in Marbella, Costa del Sol Tourism and the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport have organized several familiarization trips prior to the event aimed at agents and operators of international relevance have the opportunity to know directly the varied offer of golf that the destination has, both courses and services, accommodation and gastronomy.
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