2016 IAGTO Award Winners Announced as IGTM Draws to a Close

08 October 2015
2016 IAGTO Award Winners Announced as IGTM Draws to a Close

The 16th annual IAGTO Awards took place at Tenerife’s Siam Park, at a gala dinner attended by 1,400 golf tourism industry peers on the final night of the International Golf Travel Market.

IAGTO Chief Executive Peter Walton said: “Only a handful of golf courses, golf resorts and golf destinations receive an IAGTO Award each year, which makes this such a special event and a great achievement for each of the recipients.

“The IAGTO Awards are respected throughout the industry not only because they have been going 16 years, but because they reflect the experiences of the 1.8 million people who IAGTO operators carry on golf holidays each year.”

The 2016 Honorary Award recipient was 2005 US Open winner, New Zealand’s, Michael Campbell, who flew in from Spain’s Costa del Sol, where he oversees the Michael Campbell Golf Resort at Villa Padierna Golf Resort, to attend the awards dinner.

“I'm truly humbled and full of gratitude to receive this award,” he said. “To be mentioned in the same sentence as the previous winners of this prestigious award – among them such golfing greats as Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and the much-lamented Seve Ballesteros – is a great honour.”

The 2016 IAGTO Sustainability Awards, which are run in conjunction with GEO (Golf Environment Organization), were also announced at the gala dinner.

2016 IAGTO Awards Winners
Golf Destination of the Year – North America: Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Golf Destination of the Year – Latin America & Caribbean: Dominican Republic
Golf Destination of the Year – Africa & Gulf States: Mauritius
Golf Destination of the Year – Europe: Lisboa Golf Coast, Portugal
Golf Destination of the Year – Asia & Australasia: Vietnam
Golf Resort of the Year – Europe: Royal Obidos Spa & Golf Resort, Portugal
Golf Resort of the Year – North America: Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Florida
Golf Resort of the Year – Rest of the World: Banyan The Resort Hua Hin, Thailand
Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year: Tasmania
IAGTO Honorary Award: Michael Campbell

2016 IAGTO Sustainability Awards Winners
Sustainable Golf Course of the Year – Europe, Middle East & Africa: La Galiana Campo de Golf, Spain
Sustainable Golf Course of the Year – Americas: PGA National Resort & Spa, Florida
Sustainable Golf Course of the Year – Asia: Mission Hills Haikou, China

• For the 2016 IAGTO Sustainability Awards press release and quotes from IAGTO Awards and IAGTO Sustainability Awards winners, click on www.iagto.com/awards

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Notes for Editors
The Golf Destination and Golf Resort awards are voted for by IAGTO’s specialist golf tour operator members that now number 592 from 61 different countries. Each was asked to vote for what they considered to be the best-performing golf resorts of the year. They considered these criteria: customer satisfaction; quality of golf courses and accommodation; value for money; support from suppliers, tourist boards & airlines; professional conduct of suppliers; and accessibility to tee times.

The Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year Award is voted for by the 216 golf travel journalists from 36 countries of the International 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; and climate.

About IAGTO
IAGTO is the global trade organisation for the golf tourism industry, comprising almost 2,400 accredited golf tour operators, golf resorts, hotels, golf courses, receptive operators, airlines, tourist boards, approved media and business partners in 98 countries. IAGTO operators control over 85% of golf holiday packages sold worldwide and their combined annual turnover exceed €2.1 billion each year.

Photos & Logos
Photos and logos can be downloaded from: www.iagto.com/awards


Contact:
Guillaume post - Marketing & Communications Manager
IAGTO
Tel: +44 (0) 20 8906 3377
Website: www.iagto.com