Ahead of, during and after Scotland hosted the 2014 Ryder Cup and 2019 Solheim Cup, a Scottish Golf Tourism strategy was produced with the clear aim of reaping the profits of the world’s gaze being focussed on the home of the sport.
With a growth in impact from £286 million to more than £300 million (about $325 million to more than $340 million), the figures satisfied those responsible about the success of the initiative, but they were also acutely aware of the programme’s limitations.
Led by the Scottish Golf Tourism Development Group, in consultation with golf’s tourism industry and developed by marketing agency platform77, a second Scottish Golf Tourism and Visitor Strategy was launched in August charged with, in its own words, “meeting the demands of the small and micro operators as well as the big players.”
The latter (the famous courses and golf towns) had been the focus of the original strategy, and it was a little as if Italy had sold itself to the world’s tourists as Venice, Florence and Rome alone, forgetting that so much else in that land deserves to be discovered (and also to benefit).
Much as Ireland has succeeded in doing, Scotland now hopes to make the most of its entire golfing treasure trove while also having a visitor focus beyond the recognised golfing tourist.
Speaking to Global Golf Post, report author and managing director of platform77 Liam Barn explained: “The previous strategy focussed very much on promotion of tier-one courses and, after undertaking research with the industry, we became aware the positive trickle-down effect to lesser-known courses had been limited. We wanted the new strategy to have relevance to as many courses as possible.”
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