The world's most important golf tourism fair stops for the first time in Italy, at Villa Erba (Cernobbio) on Lake Como. This is the seventeenth edition of the International Golf Travel Market, an event scheduled from today to Thursday with over 500 representatives of foreign clubs and resorts from 66 countries and over 360 tour operators specialized in the sector. On the other hand, the business is enormous, thanks to 25 million trips a year in the company of bags and balls and Italy should finally intercept a substantial share of this cake.
This is why our country has decided to team up, presenting itself united and compact in the Italy Pavilion, where buyers will be able to meet 62 realities, including institutions, regions, consortia of clubs, golf resorts and incoming agencies. Inspired by the Italy Golf & More association and the fact that Italy has been included by the Tour Operators who are members of the Iagto (International Association Golf Tour Operators) among the 10 most attractive golf destinations, the proposal will be comprehensive, full of 360 golf facilities involving 417 of the 19 Italian regions.
By geographical paradox, the maximum concentration of golf courses is in the North (Lombardy alone boasts 69), but it is to be hoped that once the appeal represented by golf is fully understood, initiatives will also multiply in the South. It is true that at the moment many local clubs are in trouble (some have even gone bankrupt), due to the economic crisis and free membership, which on the one hand attracts converts, but on the other takes members away from the clubs; it is also true, however, that the clubs in tourist locations are better off thanks to the green fees, i.e. the entrance ticket, and can worry less about the contribution of the members.
Golf and tourism should therefore go hand in hand, supporting each other. “Our country's reputation as a destination for world golf tourism - claims Franco Chimenti, President of the Italian Golf Federation (FIG) - still needs to be fully exploited, we have enormous unexpressed potential. Better known for its art, culture, fashion, cuisine and wine, all of which are increasingly in demand for a golf holiday, Italy also knows how to offer memorable experiences to those who travel with golf bags and clubs. Golfers from all over the world must know that they can play in front of an ancient Roman aqueduct or enjoy a spectacular view of the Sardinian sea or even observe the smoking crater of Etna and the glaciers of Mont Blanc in Courmayeur”.
“Accustomed to receiving over 50 million visitors a year, Italy has all the necessary logistics and infrastructures – says Peter Grimster, IGTM manager for Reed Exibitions, organizer of the Fair – and has a wide range of options, activities, experiences to offer. Adding golf to this extraordinary mix can generate significant growth in tourism”.
The Italy Golf & More interregional project was born for this purpose as well. tricolor brand. Italy Golf & More currently includes Friuli Venezia Giulia, Emilia Romagna, Veneto, Sicily, Puglia, Liguria, Lombardy and Lazio, while the FIG represents the other regions.
