“ANDALUSIA HAS TO DEVELOP A CLEAR MESSAGE FOR EACH ISSUING MARKET”.
If there is anyone who knows the global golf tourism industry in depth, it is undoubtedly Peter Walton, president and CEO of IAGTO. Founded in 1997, the International Golf Tour Operators Association’s 2031 members include golf tour operators (487 in 61 countries), golf courses and resorts, airlines, tourism offices, licensed media and trade partners in 91 countries.
It is estimated that IAGTO tour operators control more than 85% of golf vacation packages sold worldwide, with an annual turnover of more than €1 billion.
“We are proud to be in the heart of the golf tourism industry,” says Walton.
-What are the prospects for golf tourism worldwide in the short and medium term, and is there reason for optimism?
-We have just completed the largest survey ever conducted among the global golf tourism industry and can report that tour operator golf sales grew by an average of 9.3% in 2012 compared to 2011, and by 9.4% among European golf tour operators, which are the most important sector for Spain. Tour operators are generally positive about further growth for this year. In the long term, there is certainly no reason to doubt the continued development of golf tourism as the most valuable niche market worldwide.
-What have been the most substantial changes in golf tourism since IAGTO was founded in 1997?
-There are probably two major changes, which continue to evolve to this day. On the one hand there is the Internet, which has facilitated the development of online consumer promotions and booking systems for tee times and other tourism products. The biggest surprise is that, with the exception of domestic and weekend golf trips to neighboring countries, golf tour operators have maintained much of their market share. They have done so by embracing the Internet and becoming the websites that golf travelers use.
On the other hand, golf has changed a lot culturally, so it is now impossible to say with any certainty which family members will play golf. Women are joining golf in increasing numbers and there are now at least twice as many couples in which both play golf. In addition, children are playing, so golf vacations can now cater for a much wider spectrum and golf is a more common activity on regular leisure vacations.
-To what extent is the economic crisis affecting travel activity and tourist spending by golfers?
-Golfers are not going to give up their golf vacations! That’s for sure, but of course golf tourism is not immune to changes in the economic climate around the world, but it is less affected and recovers more quickly. Golf tourism is as affected by exchange rates as it is by national wealth, so we see peaks and valleys every year in different parts of the world. Spain itself is now the sixth most important market for golf destinations because more Spanish golfers are choosing to spend golf vacations at home rather than abroad, which is a positive outcome for the very difficult economic situation Spain is facing.
-One of IAGTO’s tasks is to persuade public tourism bodies of the need to invest in the international promotion of their golf destinations in order to attract more visitors. How are public administrations responding in this regard?
-Over the past decade, governments and national tourism offices in 30 countries and regions have commissioned IAGTO to prepare their golf tourism development and promotion strategies. In short, our goal is to help improve the positioning of a golf destination so that it can attract more golf visitors and provide them with the best possible experience. To be successful, the private sector must work together to develop the product, the service and the message, while at the same time, the government must understand that it must be responsible for the international promotion of the destination. Where public administrations together with the private sector have understood this, sustainable growth of golf tourism occurs, as surely as night follows day…
-What should Andalusia do in your opinion to attract more golfers, what advantages does it offer over competing destinations such as Portugal or Turkey?
-Andalusia is already benefiting from a shift in golf travel from Turkey to Spain due to a drop in satisfaction levels in Turkey. And so are golfers who had previously planned to travel to North Africa. But these are external factors that can easily change and are beyond the control of the Andalusian golf tourism industry. Andalusia must develop a clear message formation decision for each target market, from Germany to the United States, and aim for 10% growth in each market by the end of 2014. I firmly believe that IAGTO members in Andalucía can be the catalyst for this and provide the messaging, branding and coordination, but it will ultimately be the regional government that can flip the switch in terms of international promotion.
-How are the new technological tools of the Internet influencing the marketing of golf tourism products?
-Most of the new changes are cosmetic rather than groundbreaking. You can now use a smithiana as a GPS device to measure distances to flag and record the results and upload them to social-type websites to discuss with your friends. The software has been available for a decade for online bookings, but the complexity of golf vacations has meant that it is the tour operators who get more out of it than the golfers themselves.
-What added value does a tour operator offer to golf tourists so that they book their vacations with them instead of booking them directly?
-The volcanic ash crisis of a couple of years ago demonstrated precisely the value of booking with a tour operator. Those travelers who booked with tour operators and found themselves stranded in destinations around the world were taken fantastic care of by tour operators. The economic crisis has also led consumers to be careful about who to trust with their money, as we have seen that even hotels can go bankrupt. This has led directly to an increase in the market share of golf tour operators. In the end it is consumers who decide how to book their golf vacations, but there is no doubt that the golf traveler needs three things that IAGTO tour operators can guarantee: product knowledge, organizational skills and good deals. If the price is competitive, then the golfer wants someone to do the work of organizing everything to do with their vacation, they want to know that their money is safe and they want to know that they will play the right courses for the experience they are looking for. This is a no-brainer for IAGTO tour operators around the world!
Photos: 1) Peter Walton with Tony Jacklin. 2) Peter Walton, with Marco Polacci, IAGTO delegate in Andalusia, and Manuel Piñero.
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