It has the best possible scenario, the support of a great institution such as the Junta de Andalucía, which contributes with 975,000 euros pro edition, and other sponsors not yet disclosed, and a commitment to continuity of at least five years, so it is not surprising that the Andalucía Valderrama Masters Hosted by The Sergio García Foundation aspires to become one of the best tournaments on the European Tour.
The Minister of Tourism and Sport of the Junta de Andalucía, Francisco Javier Fernández, presented this morning in the town of San Roque (Cádiz) this tournament, which places the destination in the elite of the Tour this season and will be held between the next 19 to 22 October 2017 with the participation of 150 professional players of the highest level. Along with the counselor have intervened in the presentation the general manager of the Real Club Valderrama, Javier Reviriego, and the president of the Royal Andalusian Golf Federation (RFGA), Angel de la Riva.
The competition, which has the support of Spanish golfer Sergio García and his foundation, will reach a potential audience of more than 400 million households on five continents through European Tour television, with 15 hours of live broadcasting in markets as important for the destination as the United Kingdom, France and the United States, among others.
Fernandez stressed that the date of celebration “is for us very interesting”, since the Andalucia Valderrama Masters closes the circuit on European soil, before it moves to China and Dubai, and will probably be the only tournament held in Spain in 2017. Therefore, he said that “to the sporting interest joins the tourist, for its effect deseasonalizing, since it will take place just when the high season ends.”
Thus, the counselor has assured that this competition meets “all the qualities as an appointment of great interest for the destination”, being a prestigious event, with a very high impact and a significant economic return, so he announced an agreement of continuity of the tournament for the next five years, “with the aim of growing each season and position it as a reference in the circuit”.
Also has explained that support for this competition framed in the European circuit is part of the promotional strategy of the Ministry to show the “excellence of the Andalusian offer of golf courses” through the celebration of major events in the community of international projection, a line of action that considered priority “against the exhibition of the brand in foreign tournaments”.
For his part, the director of the Real Club de Golf de Valderrama has specified that the Andalucía Valderrama Masters tournament will have a direct economic impact on the destination of between 4 and 5 million euros, according to the calculations of the European circuit itself, which also estimate an advertising return of 50 million euros on average.
Fernandez has highlighted the leadership of the community in this segment and recalled that it was recently elected as ‘European Golf Destination of the Year’ by the International Association of Golf Operators (IAGTO). This recognition, he said, “makes more evident the excellence” of an offer that “adapts to all demands and that places us as one of the most competitive destinations in the world”.
Strategic segment
In this sense, he pointed out that, in addition to the one hundred golf courses in Andalusia -the largest concentration in continental Europe-, “we must add the many proposals and attractions parallel to the enjoyment of golf, the good work of professionals, companies and workers in this segment, which place our region in the world tourism elite, and an enviable climate that makes it possible to practice the sport all year round.
The counselor has valued that this segment, which last year attracted 480,000 tourists to Andalusia, almost 5% more than the previous year, is an activity of special interest to the destination, by the high expenditure (130 euros) and stay (11.4 days) of these visitors, well above average. He also pointed out that it is a sector that generates investments and employment, with around 4,400 direct jobs.
Finally, Fernandez has stressed that major sporting and tourism events “represent one of the areas of opportunity where greater public-private synergies can be established and Andalusia has all the incentives to develop this trend,” so he noted that this Valderrama tournament represents “a paradigm” in the strategy of the Ministry of attracting events.
For his part, the president of the RFGA has highlighted the importance of the Andalucía Valderrama Masters for the promotion of golf tourism in the region.
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