Dubai and its extraordinary golf offering have been recognised by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) at its annual IAGTO Awards ceremony, collecting the Golf Destination of the Year for Africa, Gulf States & Indian Ocean 2018 title.
This award, which was chosen by IAGTO members and presented during a glitzy ceremony at the Palais Des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France, is testament to the vision of Dubai, which has shaped the development of Dubai’s golfing landscape over a period of more than 30 years.
This acknowledgement of golf as a key tourism driver has seen Dubai establish one of the most advanced golf tourism programmes, servicing operators and customers with its renowned high standards.
One of the most significant recent steps in reaffirming Dubai’s commitment to attracting visitors has been the creation of golfindubai.com, a new website which has been designed to enhance awareness of the premium golf destination that convenes – for the first time in one place – everything visitors and tour operators need to know about experiencing golf in the city.
Christian Roemer, Golf Tourism Manager of Falcon Golf, said of the award: “Dubai continues to show impressive growth in its stature as a world-leading golf destination and must now be considered amongst the very best provisioned regions globally when it comes to attracting golfing tourists.
“We are delighted to be recognised by the members of IAGTO with this most recent accolade, as we continue to optimize the sport of golf in Dubai by uniting key stakeholders and increasing the worldwide awareness and appreciation of Dubai.”
Home to 11 of the finest courses on the planet designed by greats of the game, such as Thomas Bjorn, Ernie Els, Sir Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie and Greg Norman, and year-round sunshine, Dubai has long been heralded as a bucket list destinations for golf.
The breadth, proximity and diversity of Dubai’s many layouts, surrounded by one of the most dynamic metropolitan areas, has been the subject of much acclaim in recent decades, and has seen a number of golf’s most celebrated professionals choose the emirate as a permanent base. Among this number are Ryder Cup stars Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson and Rafa Cabrera Bello, while several of its courses also allow golfers the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of Major champions like Tiger Woods, Sergio Garcia and Shanshan Feng.
The quality of its golf courses, as well as the hospitality and quality assurance, have also allowed Dubai to become one of the golf’s most important destinations for championship golf. Home to LET flagship tournament, the Omega Dubai Ladies Classic; the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, a mainstay on the European Tour since 1989; and the dramatic culmination of the European Tour’s famous Race to Dubai, the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, it is a destination well-known and much loved amongst golfers worldwide.
Golf in Dubai www.golfindubai.com