Spending by tourists who travel to the Balearics to play golf has doubled, rising from 94 million Euros in 1997 to 188 million Euros at present. Majorca, with twenty out the Islands‘ twenty-two courses, is the main beneficiary of this spend. 22 per cent of visitors who come to play are from the United Kingdom
Golf tourism, which has become one of the main attractions of the Balearic Islands, has grown exponentially in the last ten years. Between 1997 and 2004, total spending by visitors who travel to the Islands to play golf has doubled, rising from 94 million Euros to 1997 to 188 million Euros at present.
This information was published in the recent survey carried out by the Islands‘ business association confederation, the Confederacià³n de Asociaciones Empresariales de Baleares (CAEB), in collaboration with the Islands‘ tourist board through Ibatur (Balearic Institute for Tourism).
According to the survey, one of the indicators of the growth of the sector is the increase in the number of rounds, which have gone from 285,000 to 605,000, of which “non residents” played 455,000.
This year an estimated 80,000 visitors will travel to the Balearic Islands to play golf, as compared to 46,806 in 1997, a 42 per cent increase. These tourists have generated 937,921 stays in the Islands, of which 781,601 can be considered direct stays, with 156,320 generated by non-golfing companions.
Responding to this increased demand, the Islands have considerably developed the offer of golf courses, going from 8 courses in 1987 to 22 at present, and making the sport one of their major attractions.
The survey found that 22 per cent of the visitors to the Balearic Island in 2003 who came to play golf were from Great Britain, although the majority of those who prefer the Islands as a golf destination are still German. The age of players ranges from 46 to 60, but lately an increasing number is coming from younger age groups.
The profile shows that the most frequent visitors tend to be company owners and top executives who play golf on a regular basis, who go on more than three trips per year, entailing more than three nights, and who have travelled twice or more in the past few years to play golf.
The majority of these visitors still prefer to stay at hotels or ‘aparthotels‘. However, 27 per cent decide to buy or rent a dwelling, or to stay with friends or family. 73 per cent of visitors who stay at hotels and aparthotels generally choose 4 or 5 star establishments.
Golf tourists know the Balearic Islands well, since over 50% have visited the islands more than 4 times, and thus had, prior to their trip, information based on personal experience and from friends and acquaintances. 17% of these visitors declared they had found information for their trip on the Internet.
www.golfinmallorca.com
www.visitbalears.com