A total of 691.676 rounds were carried out, during the first half of 2016, on the region's golf courses, a number that represents an increase of 14,9% compared to the same period of the previous year.
According to the Associação Turismo do Algarve (ATA), the agency responsible for promoting the region's tourism to foreign markets, after the record number of golf rounds held in the region was broken at the end of 2015, with a similar number of the 1.200.000, the first half of 2016 has been promising.
“In a special year in which the Algarve is celebrating 50 years of the practice of golf in the region, these results are very encouraging and we believe that the trend is for them to continue to grow, namely, and among other aspects, due to the strong promotion strategy that we have been developing in partnership with the private sector of the golf tourism industry”, says Dora Coelho, Executive Director of ATA.
Golf is considered a tourist product of "extreme relevance for the Algarve, as it contributes significantly as a strong and effective alternative in combating seasonality and the great dependence that the destination reveals in relation to the sun and sea product" , stresses the ATA.
Currently, with around 40 golf courses, spread across the region and with different characteristics, the Algarve has a set of conditions that make it “a golf destination of excellence, with emphasis on the quality of infrastructure and good climate that allows the practice of this sport throughout the year”.
In this context, and following ATA's strong and continuous commitment to promoting this product, Algarve golf “has been gaining increasing international recognition, currently assuming a key role in the region's global revenues”.
ATA also highlights “the role of the golf tourism industry which, over the last few years, has shown an unconditional capacity to maintain golf courses with the quality that is internationally recognized for them, despite all the adversities that have occurred over the years of 2008 and 2011”.
Among the markets that show a greater interest in golf in this destination and that have contributed to the positive results obtained around this product, are the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland (markets already consolidated), Denmark and Sweden (still seen as markets with potential for development) and, finally, France, which this year showed strong demand.
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