Golf Courses in the United Arab Emirates are busier and more profitable than those in established European golfing nations such as the UK, Ireland, Spain and Portugal, underlining an…
Golf Courses in the United Arab Emirates are busier and more profitable than those in established European golfing nations such as the UK, Ireland, Spain and Portugal, underlining an ongoing international golf boom.
According to the inaugural KPMG Golf Benchmark Survey Summary Report, average revenues at golf courses in Dubai and the UAE are four times greater than those in Portugal, the highest performing country in Europe.
While the UAE has just 13 golf courses, growing demand from increasing numbers of expatriates and tourists, particularly in Dubai, is fuelling rapid growth with at least 10 new courses planned or under construction.
Elsewhere, the Golf Benchmark Survey reveals the number of golf courses and players in Eastern Europe has tripled since 2000, with 68 courses and 23,000 affiliated golfers in the Czech Republic alone.
In Northern Europe, lower prices have boosted participation rates. More than 6% of the total population in Sweden and 5% in Iceland now play golf, resulting in a regional participation rate five times greater than the rest of Europe.
Meanwhile Spain tops the league for the most expensive country to be a member of a golf club with average annual subscriptions of just under EUR 3,000.
But the Middle East is proving to be golf’s international hot spot, with courses in the region averaging 45,000 rounds per year, compared to the 26,000 rounds played on courses in Great Britain and Ireland, and profitability levels (average: 45% gross operating profit) far beyond other courses in the seven regions surveyed.
Andrea Sartori, head of KPMG’s Travel Leisure and Tourism Practice and initiator of the Golf Benchmark Survey, said: “Golf development in the Middle East, especially in Dubai, has received significant media exposure in recent years. However, the results of our survey demonstrate that the hype has been justified and that the region is fast becoming a major destination for golf.”
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