Scottish Golf Tourism Week 2018 officially underway

The third Scottish Golf Tourism Week was officially opened today by Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, as part of Scotland’s drive to hit the £300 million target for golf tourism by 2020.

The only event of its kind in the world, Scottish Golf Tourism Week is taking place at Fairmont St Andrews 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.

The event, supported by VisitScotland and Scottish Enterprise, brings together over 90 of the world’s leading golf tour operators with 93 businesses interested in attracting visiting golfers. The result is almost 4,000 face-to-face meetings, with the potential to significantly increase the 220,000 golf tourists visiting Scotland annually.

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 listed in Scotland’s Golf Tourism Strategy, Driving Forward Together. 

“I am delighted to formally launch Scottish Golf Tourism Week 2017,” said Fiona Hyslop. “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 £1.1bn per year, supporting more than 20,000 jobs, with golf tourism contributing £286m 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 £300m by 2020.”

Scotland’s national tourism organisation, VisitScotland, describes Scottish Golf Tourism Week as a “game changer” for golf tourism businesses in Scotland.

“Scottish Golf Tourism Week provides the perfect platform for international golf tour operators to get a taste of what Scotland, the Home of Golf has to offer and to encourage them to bring even more of their clients to experience the game in the country in which it was created,” said Malcolm Roughead, the chief executive of VisitScotland.

“Golf tourism is a vital contributor to Scotland’s visitor economy through strong regional spread of visitors and the fact that for every £1 a golfer spends on green fees, they will spend £5 elsewhere on accommodation, food, retail or entertainment. Our support of Scottish Golf Tourism Week is a key component of our activities to further grow the Scottish golf tourism sector and to encourage more diverse visitors to Scotland, the Home of Golf.”

Scottish Golf Tourism Week is organised by PSP Media Group, the company behind the successful Scottish Golf Show, as a way of giving more Scottish businesses, particularly those who do not have the resources to attend overseas events, unparalleled access to global tour operators and buyers.

The company’s commercial director, Tom Lovering, explained: “Scotland is the first country in the world to bring golf tourism businesses and global buyers together on home soil, allowing an outstanding golfing product to speak for itself. 

“With each year, Scottish Golf Tourism Week has grown in scale and popularity and is now firmly established as part of Scotland’s long-term strategy to increase the value of golf tourism to the economy.”