Time for Change

That there has been a downturn in golf tourism on the Costa del Sol since 2004 is no longer in dispute, but the reasons for this downturn are. Some explanations provide part of the answer - for example, is the Costa del Golf victim of its own success? There is now such a vast concentration of golf courses in a relatively small area, that business must be spread ever more thinly. Thus many courses struggle to attract numbers which were commonplace just a few short years ago, as more golf courses compete for fewer visiting golfers. Worse still, competition is not restricted to the Costa del Sol. Other areas of Spain have now jumped on the bandwagon set in motion by the Costa del Golf back in the mid-nineties and are being joined by other european countries, notably those adjacent to the mediterranean. Add to this the attractions offered by the U.S.A., currently benefiting from its artificially weak dollar, as well as some more exotic areas, such as Thailand and South Africa.

Conversations with our own clients, many of whom have recently tried other destinations, indicate that the Costa del Golf is now the most expensive winter golf destination in the world, although this is a matter which is no doubt being studied by organisations such as the Costa del Sol tourist board and the Junta de Andalucia. These bodies have the necessary resources, not to mention sufficient motivation, to protect an industry which has completely changed the face of the Costa del Sol, which as recently as 1985, used to close down during the winter months. Although our golf tourism industry is non-regulated, some of the leading administrators have recognised the challenge, hence the introduction of the new "mid season" (January / February) and the extension of the summer low season, when green fees are reduced to more attractive levels. Many courses have pegged their green fees for the past two or three years and in some cases, have actually reduced them. The good news is that clients to whom I referred earlier still choose the Costa del Golf for their winter breaks, because it still offers the advantages which attracted them in the first place - benign winter climate, accessibility and the widest choice of quality golf courses available anywhere in the world. The courses which recognise the need to become more competitive are the ones which will survive and prosper in the long term.