“THE COSTA DEL SOL IS THE BEST GOLF DESTINATION IN EUROPE AND PROBABLY THE WORLD”.
Ricardo Arranz, president of the Costa del Sol Villa Padierna Golf Resort and the Andalusian Federation of Developers and Residential Tourism, speaks proudly of his club, complains about how fiscally punished golf is and says that Andalusian golf has great potential for growth. He does, however, demand better marketing, with no expense spared, to promote the Costa del Golf as a golf destination.
-Villa Padierna is one of the great golf resorts in Europe and its construction required an enormous investment. With the perspective of almost fifteen years since the first of your courses was inaugurated, has that great economic effort been worth it?
Villa Padierna Golf Club has been the realization of a dream in an estate of five million square meters in which we have made three golf courses, an academy directed by U.S. Open champion Michael Campbell and a five-star hotel. In a way, I already realized this dream when I bought La Quinta when I was 28 years old.
Villa Padierna is, in a way, a repetition of that; a place a little away from the nerve centers of the Costa del Sol, but through the courses, the academy, and especially the hotel, is currently trying to be a reference as a golf resort and as a brand.
To answer your question: yes, it was worth it.
What is the highlight of the entire resort: the courses, the five-star luxury hotel, the Michael Campbell Academy, the spa, the sea club, the racquet club…?
We were born at the end of the real estate boom and we have gone through these years of crisis with enormous difficulties. To which we must add the fiscal punishment that has been applied to golf and five-star hotels. Today, to be alive is more than a merit, it is a luck, because I cannot understand that golf, which is a key tool to deseasonalize conventional tourism, is so punished.
What I would highlight, therefore, in addition to the fields and the hotel, is having survived all these difficulties.
-What did it mean for Villa Padierna when President Obama’s wife and one of his daughters stayed at the resort?
That was a milestone for us. We have to understand that it was the first time in the history of the United States that a first lady went on vacation outside her country, despite the huge media campaign against it.
It was a before and after in terms of the international promotion of Villa Padierna and a great boost for the image of the entire Costa del Sol.
-As president of the Andalusian Federation of Urban Developers and Residential Tourism, how would you define the current state of the real estate market in the region and how do you foresee the future in the short term?
I have said it many times and I am convinced of it: residential tourism, as the President of the Junta says, is the most important industry in Andalusia at the moment. It is true, as she also says, and I agree, that we have to bet on quality and luxury.
How do I see the future? I think that the ten best years of the Costa del Sol start now. Because we have never had infrastructures like the ones we have and because we are once again a world reference for high standing residential in the best climate in Europe and with total security in all aspects.
-You have said in some statements that the Costa del Sol is a gold mine that we have to know how to sell and take advantage of. How could this tourist destination be better sold?
Our greatest enemies are ourselves. We have never known how to sell or communicate. That is why I believe that someone has to bring a dose of common sense and encourage the union of the administrations with the businessmen and look for professionals to communicate and sell, as the French, the Italians, the Swiss do…
We will have to pay whatever it takes to do the best marketing of the best destination in Europe.
-Do you think the political authorities are really aware of the importance of golf as a key tourist segment in attracting visitors during the low season of sun and beach?
They are starting to become aware. They have had, in general, the erroneous impression that golf was a sport of and for the rich and they did not want to “stain” themselves with that. Now they realize that golf, like snow or the sea, is an essential element of the tourism industry, which can generate a lot of wealth and jobs.
It might seem that the Coast is saturated with golf courses, but my opinion is that we are not even starting, there is room for many more: the only thing we need is to communicate it again, to make a good marketing…, and to believe that this is the best golf destination in Europe and possibly the world.
-The Andalusian Government has made a strong commitment to try to have the Solheim Cup held in the region. To what extent do major tournaments influence the attraction of golf tourists to a tourist destination?
All these types of events, like the Ryder Cup, are very important. We played in Flamingos tournaments of the Senior Tour and the Women’s Tour, and it gave us a lot of space in the press, radio and television.
Having big tournaments is important but it is not enough. We have to convince ourselves that our golf is the ski of Switzerland and act accordingly in terms of promotion.
-Are you in favor of investing more in attracting emerging or remote markets or in building loyalty in consolidated ones? In other words, is it worth spending more on promotion in China or Russia or is it better to reinforce our image in the United Kingdom, Germany and Scandinavia?
I have no doubt that we must consolidate the ones we have, because there is a huge mass of players in these countries that in winter either have their courses closed or the bad weather prevents them from playing. Emerging markets must be taken into account, of course, but knowing that they are just that: emerging.
-In general, what do golfers who visit the Costa del Sol appreciate the most and what do they like the least?
The most important thing is the exceptional climate, the security, I insist, the quality of the courses…. What fails us is the service, the sensitivity to treat the visitor, which is not what they expect when they come.
In this aspect I claim the return of caddies, as in many other countries where it is a very worthy profession.
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