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\u201cGOLF IS ONE OF THE COSTA DEL SOL\u2019S MOST PROFITABLE TOURIST SECTORS\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n Following the departure of Marcelo Molinari to the private sector, Lynn Mitchell, a Scottish woman with considerable experience and many years working for the Costa del Sol Patronato de Turismo (Tourism Board), has taken over responsibility for the golf tourism sector. This is, without a doubt, one of the most important sectors in M\u00e1laga province and one which, to a significant degree, the area depends on for its survival \u2013 after the sun and beach seasons. <\/p>\n The recipient in 2009 of the Business Woman of the Year award from ADEPMA (Andalucian Women\u2019s Association of Managers, Entrepreneurs and Professionals) also retains responsibility for holiday and leisure business development.<\/p>\n \u2013 With your new responsibilities, will there be changes in the golf department or a policy of continuity?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2013 It should be noted that both Marcelo and I represent the industry\u2019s interests so any replacement doesn\u2019t result in changes \u2013 only if they are recommended by the industry. I have had the opportunity to meet, together with Marcelo, representatives of the golf industry and I have been able to confirm the results of this first year\u2019s operation in accordance with the new divisional strategy and I believe the work, in general, has been productive and profitable. Our challenge is to maximise results, and optimise resources, and I believe in this respect we can continue to improve. In short, there will be continuity, with some modifications to those initiatives that don\u2019t achieve maximum profitability. <\/p>\n \u2013 Your knowledge of the world of golf is very extensive, and stretches back quite a while. Can you outline the Patronato\u2019s promotional plans for 2013? <\/strong><\/p>\n It is true that I have had a lot of contact with the world of golf, but several years ago now and times have changed \u2013 also in the tourism industry in general. One of the major challenges is to ensure an optimal presence online, and with our proposal for a portal specialising in golf we will be working in that direction. The role of communication is vital these days and we want to work with the specialist media, golf associations and tour operators to ensure the destination receives maximum exposure, both online and offline. <\/p>\n \u2013 Have you considered opening new markets \u2013 or will you be focusing on the traditional ones?<\/strong><\/p>\n We should never stop working on our traditional markets. We have magnificent amenities \u2013 I would say the best in the Mediterranean area \u2013 but it\u2019s not exclusive and the competition is strong. We have to fight constantly to maintain our leading position. On the other hand, we have identified markets with the potential for growth, not necessarily new ones, and they need special attention, to be pampered, to cultivate this potential. I am referring to markets such as Russia, the Czech Republic, even Switzerland, and some others in our natural environment, in addition to the United States and Canada. <\/p>\n \u2013 What new marketing formulas do you use?<\/strong><\/p>\n Following the recommendations of our members and clients, we need to analyze what works well in other destinations. It\u2019s not about re-inventing the wheel; it is not it the right moment to experiment, but rather to incorporate new techniques that have been shown to be effective and profitable. To that end, we have the benefit of collaborating with true experts in the golf industry who are members of our golf working groups. Not only can we count on their experience and contribution but also their active involvement with the creation, and realisation, of the marketing and supervision plan. We have a fantastic platform with the IAGTO, although we aren\u2019t taking full advantage of it. We have to work more on communication: there is a role to fulfil, creating news and distributing it to both professional associations and consumers. <\/p>\n \u2014 Do you believe the public administrations put enough effort into promoting golf or should they allocate more resources?<\/strong><\/p>\n I believe they should dedicate more resources, and ensure the maximum effort possible, because golf is one of the most profitable sectors, as golfers are among the Costa del Sol\u2019s best clients when it comes to spending power. And not only because of profitability but also because the Costa del Sol\u2019s golf amenities are the best, at a holiday level, in Europe. We need to promote it as much as possible because this also has a domino effect on the other sectors. <\/p>\n \u2013 What is the best thing about the Costa del Sol destination?<\/strong><\/p>\n The best is, without a doubt, the climate \u2013 the brilliant light is unique \u2013 and also the friendliness and personality of the people, the professionalism and experience in the tourism industry, the capacity for reinvention. There are few destinations that have this constant evolution and product adaption. <\/p>\n And the worst?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2013 If there is any weakness it is perhaps the limited long-term planning. This has been a very dynamic and profitable industry, and its development has, at times, been running ahead of planning. We should take advantage of the cycles when activity decreases to plan well for the future, and I believe that in the past this hasn\u2019t been the case. <\/p>\n \u2013 Do we still maintain our standing as the premier destination in Europe or are our competitors starting to take over?<\/strong><\/p>\n We continue to maintain this standing, and we are also regaining the prestige that was, perhaps, at risk when prices rose. In any event, the competition is massive and we can\u2019t drop our guard at any moment. We have to fight and consolidate our efforts day by day. <\/p>\n \u2013 In your opinion, do politicians, in general, give the golf tourism sector the consideration it warrants?<\/strong><\/p>\n I believe there is a high level of awareness among politicians, not just over the past one or two years but since well before \u2013 at the national, regional, provincial and municipal level.<\/p>\n \u2013 It seems as though 2012 was slightly better than previous years. When do you forecast a conclusive recovery in the sector? <\/strong><\/p>\n If I had a crystal ball\u2026 The important thing is that we have the capacity to resist everything they throw at us, and I believe we are well positioned to resist. We need to plan well in order to optimize our resources when the period of growth returns once again. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" GOLF IS ONE OF THE COSTA DEL SOL\u2019S MOST PROFITABLE TOURIST SECTORS\u201d. Following the departure of Marcelo Molinari to the private sector, Lynn Mitchell, a Scottish woman with considerable experience and many years working for the Costa del Sol Patronato de Turismo (Tourism Board), has taken over responsibility for the golf tourism sector. This is, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2608,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[124],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destinations"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15034"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15034\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/andaluciagolf.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}