Away from the preparation of the golf greens, a business development campaign is under way to support golfing and tourism companies in the run-up to The Open.
Working with the Fife Tourism Partnership and VisitScotland, Liam Barn, project manager for the Fife Golf Partnership has described a number of initiatives to ensure that media, travel companies and visitors are in doubt that Fife can offer a fantastic golf tourism experience.
He said, “Building on contacts made at the International Golf Travel Market and at the VisitScotland Expo we are hosting tour operator and media visits to help promote our Fife Golf Partnership member businesses in the UK, Europe and USA. Recently, a tour operator and media group played at Anstruther while another tour company has already booked a party to play the course on their visit from Germany.
“In addition to the visits, the Partnership has promoted our members to 6000 consumers across the UK and Europe in the lead up to The Open to highlight special offers and promotions for golf and non-golf attractions and accommodation. A social media community of around 2,000 followers is kept up-to-date with the latest news and promotions around Fife.”
On the golf course, the Fife Golf Partnership will team up with VisitScotland on its stand at The Open to promote local businesses and provide real-time information on the digital I-signs. The Fife Tourism Partnership has collated a booklet of more than 30 special offers and incentives from local tourism operators to hand out at The Open.
The Partnership has also been assisting with the organisation and promotion of the inaugural Fife Junior Open.
Fife Golf Partnership chair, Stephen Owen, said, “Fife is already on the international golf map and, of course, there is massive interest because of The Open. We want to capitalize on that interest to establish greater international business links for golf courses and all the associated tourism businesses in Fife. This is an ideal time to point out all the fantastic tourism assets Fife has to offer to make sure that golf travel companies and visitors realise what an excellent destination it is.”
Cllr Lesley Laird, Depute Leader and Executive Spokesperson for Economy and Planning, said, “It is our goal to encourage all visitors to The Open to experience the very best of Fife – from golf to our wonderful heritage and outdoor activities. This is a great chance for tourism businesses, whether directly associated with golf or not, to promote themselves to the many thousands of visitors we are expecting.”