IGTM delegates enjoyed the Costa Brava during the golf travel trade’s most important event of the year.
GIRONA – Delegates at the International Golf Travel Market (IGTM) enjoyed a taste of the Costa Brava during the golf travel trade’s most important event of the year.
There was a full house for a special dinner at Quinta do Lago’s exquisite restaurant Casa do Lago on November 11, 2012, while more than 70 golf tour operators and travel trade professionals attended a Costa Brava Girona Destination Briefing on November 14 at the Tivoli Marina Vilamoura hotel, Algarve, Portugal, venue of IGTM.
Costa Brava, on Spain’s north-east coast, close to Barcelona, was voted Emerging Golf Destination of the Year in 2000 and now boasts 10 outstanding golf venues, including the critically acclaimed PGA Catalunya Resort, a World Top 100 golf course.
IAGTO Chief Executive, Peter Walton, was among the guests at Quinta do Lago and spoke positively of Costa Brava’s development as a golf destination:
“The work the Costa Brava Girona Tourist Board has put into establishing the region as a golf destination over the past 10 years is a great example of how cooperation between courses under a unified strategy and plan can benefit a region.
“Costa Brava Girona Tourist Board has managed the quality of its courses, created a distinctive and memorable customer experience and has identified and successfully communicated its ‘X Factor’ – gastronomy.”
Costa Brava boasts 18 Michelin stars, including the renowned restaurant El Celler de Can Roca (three Michelin stars), voted the world’s second best restaurant in 2011 and 2012.
Leading chefs from Costa Brava were flown in to Portugal to showcase Catalan cuisine featuring local produce, popular wines and Cava.
And there was a second helping of the region at IGTM when Costa Brava Girona Tourist Board Marketing Director Jaume Marin presented a Destination Briefing.
As well as gastronomy, Jaume Marin explained the importance of the link to Salvador Dali, who was born in the region and whose genius is celebrated at a unique museum in Figueras.
“We have had a very successful week at IGTM with the interest level and business being booked with tour operators continuing to grow, especially with the German and Dutch representatives,” said Jaume Marin.
“Golf is an important part of our tourism strategy and we have invested in communicating the region to the golf travel trade and to consumers in our target markets. Those efforts are now paying off and we are pleased with the way golf tourism continues to develop in the Costa Brava.”
World Top 100 course PGA Catalunya Resort, plus the 36-hole resort Emporda and the seaside course of Platja de Pals are among the 10 outstanding courses on the Costa Brava. Other popular courses in the region include Club de Golf Costa Brava, Club de Golf Peralada, Golf d’Aro, Golf Girona and Torremirona Golf Club, plus the delightful par-3 Pitch & Putt courses at Gualta and Papalus.
As well as Barcelona and Girona-Costa Brava airports, a new high-speed rail link will open soon, connecting the region to Paris (5.5 hours) and the rest of Europe. Services to Girona and Figueres, the second city of the Costa Brava, and home to the Salvador Dali Theatre Museum (which attracts 1.5 million visitors per year) were opened in 2011, with the extension to Barcelona under way.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
