Why is the tourism that golf creates important?

The study carried out by IE University confirms the consolidation of Spain as the first destination in the world for international golf tourism, attracting approximately 1.2 million foreign tourists.

The study carried out by IE University confirms the consolidation of Spain as the first destination in the world for international golf tourism, attracting approximately 1.2 million foreign tourists. The main source of these tourists is the United Kingdom, followed by Germany, Sweden and France.

In 2018 1,195,000 tourists came to our country in order to play golf. This figure itself shows the enormous weight that this sport has in the tourist market, and even more so because the average stay of these visitors is 11.9 days, compared to the 7.4 days that the average tourist is estimated to spend the night. in Spain. Following the same profit stream, the average expense generated per person is 3,850 euros per stay and 324 euros per day. Only a small part of this amount stays on the golf courses, and the rest is distributed among the hotel, restaurant, commercial and transport sectors. The golf tourist has a great interest in enjoying the good gastronomy of the area, in addition to shopping and excursions.

In addition to the great importance of this type of tourism in the economy, it is also important as a generator of employment. It is estimated that 95% of the jobs created directly on golf courses are permanent, and that 94% are full time. Percentages much higher than the national average.

  1. Why is golf tourism so important?
  • Because it is investment-generating tourism. Not only the investments that are made in the golf courses, but all those that it entails, that is, the tourist complexes, urbanizations and other complementary services.
  • Because it is a quality tourism. This tourism is carried out by a segment of the population with a rather high socioeconomic profile, so their average daily spending is approximately five times higher than the expense that a regular tourist could make.
  • Because it is tourism that compensates for seasonality. Among its strengths, it stands out that it is a sport that can be played every month of the year, unlike the typical sun and beach tourism. The golf tourist contributes to providing a solution to the seasonal adjustment, one of the challenges that tourism has always faced in Spain. The high season for golf is from October to April, allowing the recovery and use of resources in times of low season for other sectors.
  • Because it is a growing tourism. This means that the number of followers of this sport is increasing. This is due to the fact that there is, more and more, a desire for contact with nature, it is an activity that is available to almost all the physical conditions of the population, etc.
  • Because it is a tourism consistent with environmental protection. The possibility of growth in this sport is necessarily based on a respectful approach to the environment, as it ensures its survival.

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