Golf tourism in Algarve generated a global wealth of 500 million euros

A study promoted by the Tourism Association of the Algarve (ATA), as a Regional Tourism Promotion Agency (ARPT | Algarve), conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), makes known the important economic impact of golf tourism in the Algarve region, revealing that in 2017 alone, this product was responsible for obtaining 370 million euros in tourism expenses, a revenue that generated around 16,800 jobs and a total Gross Value Added of 500 million euros.

In spite of its recognized strategic importance for the tourism dynamism of the region, to date there were no concrete data to assess the value creation associated with golf in Algarve, which is why ATA (Regional Agency for Tourism Promotion | Algarve) decided to promote this study. With the involvement and participation of different agents of this sector, the work done by PwC allowed to obtain a characterization of the consumption habits of the golf tourist and quantify their impact on the economic fabric of the Algarve region in the year of 2017.

Golf players' spending activate various sectors of the regional / national economy, generating direct, indirect and induced impacts through added value, jobs, taxes and trade balance. The analysis of the golf sector allowed the identification of multipliers of revenue throughout the region, which translated into a creation of Gross Value Added, in some cases over 60%.

"The results of this study confirm the recognition of the golf industry as an extremely important economic sector in Portugal and, in particular, in Algarve", states Carlos Gonçalves Luis, president of ATA. "Through this analytical tool, we now have a concrete knowledge base on this product", he explains. It is worth noting that the Algarve currently holds approximately 70% of the total number of national rounds of golf (in 2017, 1,341 million rounds were played in the region), which proves the importance and potential of this product for tourism. "By combining unique conditions for the practice of this modality throughout the year, we can find in this product a strong contribution to combat seasonality", defends the president of ATA.

This study also allowed to outline the profile of the golfer visiting Algarve. "We have been able to see that tourists who visit us with their golf driving motivation are highly loyal to their destination," says Dora Coelho, Executive Director of ATA, "87% of players surveyed had visited the Algarve in the past, a very expressive indicator concerning the satisfaction of the tourists before the offered product ", she boasts.

The average spending of the golf tourist in Algarve, is about € 1,500 in your stay, staying in hotels of 4 or 5 stars. As far as nationality is concerned, it is mostly of British origin (73%), an indicator that is directly related to the number of air links that the destination has (currently, flights to 30 cities in the UK and Ireland). In choosing the Algarve as a holiday destination, influencing factors such as the mild climate (79% of the respondents) and the quality of the fields (56%) weigh heavily.

Given the conclusions of this study, it is possible to affirm that Algarve has been reinforcing its position and notoriety by recognizing the quality and diversity of its tourism offer, not only in relation to golf, but also at the level of other complementary products

"We are very pleased with the data obtained through this study, not only for the positive results that come to validate the strategy that ATA has been implementing, along with its Associates, in the external promotion of the region, but also for the recognition of the weight and importance that this industry represents in terms of regional and national economic impact. The information gathered will be extremely useful in order to create new opportunities and solutions, in the medium and long term, that allow us to continue to enhance the excellence of Algarve as an appealing tourist destination throughout the year, "said Carlos Gonçalves Luís, president of ATA.