Speaking during the presentation of the Plan for Golf Events of the ITP, the Portuguese Institute of Tourism, the Minister stressed that these objectives for growth are plausible, according to current indicators. The biggest event in the plan will be the Portugal Masters, with prize money of three million euros, which is at present already classified as being among the top five in Europe.

The tournament will take place at the Victoria Golf Club, which last Friday was the setting for the presentation of the signing ceremony of the different contracts relating to the holding of the competitions that were announced.

For Manuel Pinho “golf is the snow of Portugal”, comparing the importance of this product to the snow in other countries, for its capacity to “attract passing tourists who choose Portugal as a second residence”.

The Plan that was presented on Friday foresees a growth of 7% in the golf sector by 2009, which means in excess of 2 billion euros in receipts, 1.4 million overnight stays by foreigners and 1.7 million rounds of golf.

Based on a strategy of promotion in selected markets and of six major events of an international nature, the Plan will necessitate an investment of 25 million euros, of which 52% is the responsibility of the ITP, and 48% of other private and public bodies over the next three years.

The Minister of the Economy stressed the need to increase the number of golf courses as one of the priorities for the sector, along with the importance of raising the profile of golf in Portugal.

He said that these events were not something to be held this year and then abandoned in the following years, and he said that stability of programming was needed as a condition for the success of golf tournaments.

Saying that the capacity of the sector in Portugal is already of excellent quality, the Minister defined golf as an important part of the tourist sector which is growing by almost 10% per year in receipts and the number of overnight stays.

He said that the slightly more than 30 courses in the Algarve were not too much for demand, stressing that there are many more in the regions of neighbouring Spain.

It will be recalled in this regard that a study carried out by the University of the Algarve about the construction of golf courses and the sustained development of this segment of the tourism industry, suggested that the construction of 49 golf courses was the maximum load that could be borne by the region, such projects to be implemented over a period of 15 years. Bernardo Trindade, Secretary of State for Tourism told the Algarve Observer that the government’s proposals had taken these recommendations into account.

Reducing seasonality and increasing competitiveness

The Plan for 2007/2009 which was presented on Friday aims to reduce the effects of seasonality, attract higher income tourists, improve the competitiveness of golf destinations, raise the region’s profile and develop new destinations.

Defining four priority regions for golf in Portugal – the Algarve, Lisbon (Estoril, Costa Azul and West), Madeira and the Azores – the Plan identifies Germany, Scandinavia, Holland, Ireland and the United Kingdom as priority markets.

At present, the United Kingdom accounts for 28% of the European golf market (measured in numbers of players), Scandinavia 21%, Germany 11%, France 8%, Ireland and Holland 6% each, and Spain 5%, with the rest of Europe accounting for 15% of the total number of golfers.

In terms of promotion, the Plan provides for the presence of the IEP under the brand "Golfe Portugal" at fairs and events, and an invitation to different organisations to visit Portuguese courses.

In terms of tournaments, the focus is on six events promoting the destination: Madeira Island Open (March), Cup of Nations (March), Estoril Portugal Open (April), Portugal Ladies Open (May), Azores Seniors Open (June) and Portugal Masters (October).

Of these, the Cup of Nations, the Portugal Ladies Open, and the Portugal Masters are held in the Algarve.

 

source: observatorio do algarve