Turismo Costa del Sol has participated again this year in the annual meeting of the PGA of Germany that has taken place in Kassel, an action contemplated within the collaboration agreement that the entity maintains with the PGA as a Pool Partner and as the Exclusive Destination of PGA Germany in Continental Europe.
The recognitions received by the Costa del Sol as Best European Golf Destination 2019 by IAGTO, and being Germany’s exclusive PGA Official Golf Destination in Continental Europe, have reinforced the positioning that the Costa del Sol has in the golf segment and also in the German market, one of the priorities for the destination.
The CEO of Costa del Sol Tourism, Margarita del Cid, said that for the entity has been of great interest to be present at this annual conference, an event in which more than 200 pros have participated, “in order to spread the image of the Costa del Sol – Costa del Golf as a leading destination in Continental Europe, take advantage of synergies with members of the PGA Germany and enhance the flow of groups of golfers and promote the image of Costa del Sol – Costa del Golf in the German market and exploit the great potential of this market”.
Turismo Costa del Sol has participated in this event as an exhibitor and branding, and has attended different talks, networking, as well as a gala dinner in which it has been able to show the wide offer of the golf segment in the Costa del Sol destination.
The PGA Germany is one of the most powerful worldwide and Turismo Costa del Sol has a biannual contract which includes participation in its annual congress. Special attention deserves the promotion of the golf segment in this market and in this sense it must be said that Costa del Sol Tourism has strengthened ties with the PGA of Germany, being appointed as the exclusive Official Golf Destination of PGA Germany in Continental Europe. It should be noted that the Costa del Golf is one of the most important leading destinations, with an offer of more than 70 courses and with a segment that generates an economic benefit of 1,410 million euros per year.
Founded in 1927, the PGA of Germany has 2,000 members and is the largest PGA in continental Europe, and the second largest in Europe after Great Britain and Ireland.
Only 100 of its members are tour players, while some 1,500 members are involved in teaching golf. About 200 members are managers or hold other positions in the golf industry.
Golf promotion is one of the PGA’s missions and, through a network of more than 700 golf clubs, the PGA is regarded as a business generator and opinion leader. Each year between 50 and 60 professionals embark on a 3-year course to become a qualified PGA Golf Professional.
The PGA collaborates with specialized media such as Süddeutsche Zeitung Golf Spielen, GOLF MAGAZIN, golf.de and golfmanager, “which is why it is so important to collaborate with them to influence the image of the destination,” added Margarita del Cid. Likewise, the PGA offers a portal with more than 3 million visits per year and offers its partners coverage in these media and in the newsletters of the PGA itself.
According to PGA data, the German amateur player takes an average of two getaways and one longer trip to play golf and the Pro’s recommendations are respected. In addition, the Pro himself frequently organizes his own trip with a group of students, being an opinion leader who carries weight in the German market and relies on the recommendations made by the PGA. These groups usually travel before, or after, the golf season in Germany, during periods of bad weather. The groups are small groups of about 6 to 8 members, but spend on average 2.8 times more budget than the normal tourist.
In total, the PGA has 40 collaborators from the golf sector, companies of various kinds, offering an important network of contacts with the industry.
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German travelers
The German market is a very important market for the Costa del Sol ranking third in entry through Malaga airport. A total of 787,962 Germans arrived at Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport during 2019, 0.5% more than in the same period of 2018.
Costa del Sol Tourism will allocate more than 800,000 euros to specific actions for the Golf segment during 2020, as stated in the Action Plan of the entity for this year, among which are fairs, professional conferences, professional forums, trade alliances, marketing campaigns, actions in the destination, as well as reverse actions.
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