The Andalusia Masters is confirmed in its second edition as the great tournament for the end of the European golf season, as explained the Minister of Tourism, Trade and Sport, Luciano Alonso, in Los Barrios (Cadiz). The event will be held from October 27 to 30 at the Valderrama golf course, will be attended by 96 professional players and will distribute 3 million euros in prizes, provided by the Junta.
Luciano Alonso underlined the relevance of the Masters, which “has been an outstanding event for many years in Andalusia and now returns to put the finishing touch to the European circuit”. In his opinion, it is the “most important tournament of the many that the community hosts every season” by bringing together again some of the main players of the continent, such as the Spaniards Miguel Ángel Jiménez, Álvaro Quirós, Sergio García, the Dane Thomas Björn, the Irishman Paul McGinley or the German Martín Kaymer.
The counselor also highlighted the presence in this edition of José María Olazábal, captain of the European team that will compete in the 2012 Ryder Cup in Chicago, and who he referred to as “one of the most beloved and respected figures of the golf scene on both sides of the Atlantic” with a track record that includes 35 titles (including two Masters of Augusta).
He also emphasized that the Masters is a “major example” of a new management formula implemented in this Legislature by his department in which “we have gone from being mere sponsors and paying organization fees for the rights of others to seeking greater profitability as owners and organizers of our best events”.
According to the counselor, this new system carried out by the Board has turned these events into “an innovative resource with a great capacity to generate income from the economic movement that they entail”, at the same time as “a platform for the national and international dissemination of the Andalusia tourism brand and to position the community as the best destination for the celebration of championships”.
Luciano Alonso said that it is “an ideal occasion” to project the image of the destination, since it will be broadcasted on television on channels such as The Golf Channel (USA) and Sky (UK), as well as in special programs and newspapers in 50 countries, with a potential audience of 450 million viewers in Europe, Asia, America and Oceania. The event has 250 accredited journalists and is expected to be attended by around 30,000 spectators.
In order to reinforce the promotion and increase the number of visitors to the tournament, the Regional Ministry has launched a series of marketing actions that will include inserts in regional and national newspapers and national and international magazines specialized in golf, radio spots, special actions on television and outdoor advertising at the Malaga airport.
Golf tourism in Andalusia
Finally, Alonso stressed the commitment of the Board to strengthen golf as “one of the products of greater dimension in the Andalusian offer” and as “fundamental support of the sponsorship policy as a generator of tourist movements and income for the sector”.
Andalusia consolidates its leadership in the national territory in terms of golf offer, with 24.2% of the golf courses. In addition, this activity motivated last year the arrival in the community of 427,000 tourists, who left an income of 687 million euros. The average daily expenditure of this type of visitor is 91.23 euros, 30.8 euros more than the average, and the average stay is 14 days, five more.
At the presentation of the event, Luciano Alonso was accompanied by the vice president of the European Tour, Ángel Gallardo; the general manager of the Valderrama Golf Club, Javier Reviriego; and the mayor of San Roque, Juan Carlos Ruiz.
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