The IAGTO Awards 2012

17th November 2011

The IAGTO Awards are the official annual awards for the golf tourism industry. The 2012 gala Awards evening took place on Thursday 17th November 2011 at the Cornelia Diamond Hotel in Belek, Turkey on the last day of the International Golf Travel Market.

IAGTO is the global trade organisation for the golf tourism industry, comprising more than 1700 companies in 90 countries, including over 400 specialist golf tour operators in 58 countries. IAGTO operators control more than 80% of golf holiday packages sold worldwide and their combined annual turnover exceeds €1 billion. IAGTO’s Chief Executive, Peter Walton, said "The annual golf holiday is the highlight of the golfing year for many of the world’s 50 million players, and the IAGTO Awards serve to reward a few exceptional contributions to this world of golf travel. There is certainly no shortage of candidates worthy of recognition. Many individuals, companies, organisations and destinations have excelled in delivering a great golfing experience to the golf traveller – the ultimate goal for all involved in golf tourism.

“The Awards serve also to encourage private and public sector organisations to work closely together in the development and promotion of new and existing golf destinations, making them accessible to and enjoyable by the widest range of golfers. Each year we recognise the performance of three of the world’s leading Golf Resorts, the flagships of our industry, together with one outstanding golf destination in each of the following five regions:

• Asia & Australasia
• Africa, the Indian Ocean & the Gulf States
• Latin America & the Caribbean
• North America
• Europe

There is also an award for the Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year, voted for by members of the International Association of Golf Travel Writers, with over 150 member journalists from 33 countries. Furthermore this year, the awards have been extended beyond resorts and destinations to include a new Outstanding Performance award for other categories of golf tourism supplier, including golf clubs, hotels, transportation companies and ground handlers. The ceremony culminates in the presentation of our Honorary Award in tribute to the achievements of one extraordinary individual.”

Quotes from Award Winners:

Established Golf Destination of the Year, North America – Palm Springs
Ashlee Ciora, Director of Travel Industry Sales at Palm Springs Desert Resort Communities Convention and Visitors Authority said: “I think it definitely puts Palm Springs on the map as a golf destination. We have over 100 courses in the eight cities that make up the Palm Springs Area and we have over 350 days of sunshine every year, so we are a year-round golf destination. We are honoured that the international tour operators have acknowledged us as being a top golf destination worldwide. We are especially honoured because La Quinta Resort at PGA West won the award for North America Golf Resort of the Year last year. And for us, getting the North America golf destination award for 2012 enhances our exposure.”

Established Golf Destination of the Year, Africa, Indian Ocean & Gulf States – Abu Dhabi
Dayne Lim, Product Development Director, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) said: “To be named Golf Destination of the Year Africa & the Gulf States 2012 in the prestigious IAGTO Awards is a major honour and couldn’t have come at a more significant time as we launch our new Golf in Abu Dhabi initiative. Together, they will undoubtedly provide a major fillip in our goal of strengthening Abu Dhabi’s position as a preferred golfing destination – a niche and high-yielding tourism sector which has been prioritised in our product, promotional and industry collaborations strategies. The emirate’s golf offerings have come a long way in recent years and is now dynamic and diverse. It encompasses three championship-ready courses with a 25 kilometre radius, two of which have been listed in the world’s top 100 courses by Golf World magazine. Tourists visiting the emirates can play a different style, with varying challenges, every day over a standard six-day break. We believe this diversity is giving us a significant competitive edge.”

Established Golf Destination of the Year, Asia & Australasia – Pattaya
The Mayor of Pattaya City, Mr Itthiphol Kunplome said: “Golf tourism is very important to Pattaya and the nearby area and winning this award as the best golf destination in Asia and Australasia is very important for us. We have some advantages over other regions of Thailand as a golf destination because we not only have the golf facilities but we also have the hotels and many attractions for families. We encourage golfers to come with their families. We will keep the standard high and continue to develop our services and quality. We have 18 golf courses and we band together under the name of EGA – the Eastern Seaboard Golf Management Association. The number of rounds of golf played is growing very rapidly. It has gone from 200,000 rounds per year to 500,000 per year over the last three years.”

Established Golf Destination of the Year, Europe – Fife
Stephen Owen, President, Stayinstandrews.com said: “To be given this award from our peers within the golfing industry obviously means a huge amount. We do the same as many different golf destinations around the world. The key strength we have is the investment we have been putting into people over the past 18 months. Across the board there are new initiatives in training; for example, we developed a new training course called the St Andrews Standard which won a prestigious award for excellence in training. This IAGTO Award shows that what we are doing we are doing right, and we will continue to work to make it even better. St Andrews is a part of Fife and always takes the focus but this award is an across-Fife award and it does prove we are working hard to spread it further around our region. We have 47 different golf courses, from the beautiful Aberdour to London Links, Ladybank, Elie, Anstruther, Crail and East Snook, where you are in the golfing heart land.”

Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year – Bulgaria
Mr Traicho Traikov, Minister for Economy, Sport and Tourism said: “I think it’s an incredible achievement for the people involved in this sector in Bulgaria, especially given the fact that 10 years ago it did not exist. But we hope that in a few years we will be competing for the best golf destination award. We have a fairly small number of golf courses – there are six in two golfing areas, by the seaside and around the capital – but they are all top-quality courses. Bulgaria is traditionally a country that developed beach tourism and winter sport tourism, but golf is an excellent and very deserving part of alternative tourism where we also have wellness and cultural heritage tourism. We as a government are helping the golf tourism sector. We are turning over a military airport right next to the area where the golf courses are for civil use so that golfers can fly direct. The government took this decision a month ago. If the airport is not open for the next summer season it will be open at the latest by the summer of 2013.”

Europe Golf Resort of the Year – Fairmont St Andrews
Garrett Turta, General Manager, said: “This is a great accolade and acknowledges all of our hard work. It is a celebration of what we do and our passion. It is very important; golf tourism is a growing market and St Andrews still has a long way to go. We had a £17 million investment from 2007 to 2009 in both the golf courses and the hotel, which was essentially raised from a four-star to a five-star hotel. It puts us on the level of the best of the best, and we can meet that guest expectation not only in the hotel but also on the golf courses. We get very good feedback from guests. Sometimes when they can’t get on the Old Course or others in the area they are very happy to come back and play with us.”

Rest of the World Golf Resort of the Year – Mission Hills Hainan
Mr Tenniel Chu, Vice-Chairman said: “This award will help boost the profile of China as a golf destination. Golf in China is booming. There are over 600 golf courses and five million golfers. We have already won this award before, in 2006, for our Mission Hills Shenzhen facility, which is a private club. We were working with the government to develop Hainan as an international tourism island. They believe golf will be the engine to drive tourism to the island, so we have created the world’s largest public golf facility, with 10 courses. Next week, Hainan will host the 56th Omega World Cup of Golf. At the moment our first phase is 10 golf courses and a mineral spring spa. We are building a new phase including an entertainment and shopping district to complement the visitor experience.”

Golf Supplier of the Year – PAGS
Sue Georges, Director, Portugal Algarve Golf Services said: “We feel exceptionally proud. This is a huge honour. The tour operators have voted us the best golf supplier in the world. Essentially, it is a recognition of the way we feel things should be done. We believe that quality service and perfection is everything. We have always worked hard to be the best we can ever be. Our raison d’etre is to develop the business of our tour operators and look after their clients. It is our objective to look after them from the moment they arrive to when they depart.”

ENDS
17th November 2011

Notes for Editors

Click here for Photographs & Logos of the IAGTO Awards 2011

The Golf Destination and Golf Resort awards are voted for by IAGTO’s specialist golf tour operator members which now number over 400 from 58 different countries. Each operator was asked to vote for what they considered to be the best performing golf resorts of the year. The following criteria were considered:

• Customer Satisfaction
• Quality of Golf Courses and Accommodation
• Value for money
• Support from Suppliers, Tourist Boards & Airlines
• Professional Conduct of Suppliers
• Accessibility to Tee Times

With the exception of the Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year Award which is voted for by the 150+ golf travel journalists from 33 countries of the Golf Travel Writers Association, who consider the following:

• To What Extent is the Golf Destination Undiscovered
• Qualities that make for an Interesting Golf Destination
• Attractiveness of the Region and of the Courses
• Golf Course Quality & Accessibility
• Standard of Accommodation
• Friendliness of the staff
• Value for money
• Speed of Play
• Climate

Contact

Carlton Carugati – General Manager
IAGTO, 1 Trafalgar House, Grenville Place, London NW7 3SA, United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0) 20 8906 3377
Fax: +44 (0) 20 8906 8181

Email: ccarugati@iagto.com

IAGTO Awards 2012 Photos