Asia a major threat to growth of Australian golf tourism
The flourishing golf tourism market in Asia offers immense opportunity but also a threat to the golf industry in Australia, according to a recent report.
The Australian Golf Industry Council commissioned a study entitled ‘The Value of Golf Tourism to Australia’ showing massive growth in golf tourism in Asia.
Key findings show that 1.575 million golf trips were taken in Australia in 2013, producing 8.4 million golf visitor nights.
Domestic golf tourists spent on average $301 and stayed 5.3 nights.
Most popular golf areas remain The Murray River and the Golf Coast, while North Tasmania had the biggest growth rate.
It also said 3.2% of international visitors to Australia played golf during their trip.
Referring to Asia as the dominant market for golf, the report said: "From a broader perspective, the rise of golf in Asia presents both an opportunity and a threat for Australia’s golf tourism economy.
The key portion of the report comes in its findings on Asia. "The emergence of the Asian middle class is leading to increased demand for golf holidays as golfers are proving to be valuable consumers for any country, region or facility,” it says.
It went on: "The opportunity lies in being able to market our world class courses to a growing customer base who have an increasing capacity and propensity for leisure travel, and conversely, increased consumer choice provided in Asia is a threat, in not only competing for the Asian consumer but through providing Australian golf tourists with more travel options.”
The report also highlights that many Asian countries are developing specific golf tourism strategy to target international golf tourists.
Commenting on the findings, Golf Australia chief executive Stephen Pitt said: "We see an enormous untapped potential in golf tourism in this country, and this report gives us a strong foundation to partner with government to formulate a strategy that benefits the whole country.”
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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