Scottish Golf Tourism Week launched

Scottish Golf Tourism Week 2017 has been launched as Scotland aims to hit the £300 million target for golf tourism.

Supported by VisitScotland and Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Golf Tourism Week takes place 23-27 October and brings the world’s leading golf buyers to Scotland for an exceptional week of familiarisation trips and one to one meetings with golf tourism businesses from across the country.

A recent study highlighted the value of golf tourism to Scotland at £286 million per year, an increase from the 2007 figure of £220 million and on track to achieve the £300 million target by 2020 .

Launching the event during this year’s Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Dundonald, Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, said; “I am delighted to formally launch Scottish Golf Tourism Week 2017. This event plays a key role in our drive to firmly establish Scotland as the world’s leading golf destination. As a whole, the Scottish golf industry is worth more than £1.1 billion per year, supporting more than 20,000 jobs, with golf tourism contributing £286 million but even so, we know there is huge potential for growth. Our Driving Forward Together’ strategy is the roadmap for achieving golf tourism growth in Scotland, reaching £300million by 2020.”

Golfers from overseas will spend on average 4.5 times more per day than a regular tourist and for every £1 spent on playing golf, £5 is spent elsewhere in Scotland’s economy, including accommodation, food & drink, retail and other tourism attractions.

Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland said; “Last year’s inaugural Scottish Golf Tourism Week showed that Scotland can change the way it engages with global golf tour operators and buyers, creating more opportunities than ever before for golf travellers to visit the country where the game began. This year’s event will be even larger, with the potential for up to 3,500 business meetings, as well as familiarisation trips for over 70 tour operators.”

Tom Lovering, director of event organisers PSP Media Group, concluded: “As organisers of Scottish Golf Tourism Week, we appreciate the importance of golf tourism to the whole of the Scottish economy and we have no-doubt that, with each successive year, this event will add several millions to an already buoyant market place. Last year’s inaugural Week was a resounding success and 2017 is shaping up to be even bigger and better.