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online technologies and emerged with at least as great a market share as they had in the brochure age , which was a surprise to many . On average , 52 % of golf vacations are booked through golf tour operators , and this percentage increases the farther a golfer travels and the less familiar the golfer is with their chosen destination .
Golf tour operators themselves have impacted the market dramatically by offering great short-break deals that are easy to book and encourage people to take many more golf holidays than perhaps they would have done previously , due to the ease of booking and great value on offer .
DG : How is the global golf holiday sales market faring in the face of all the current economic uncertainty ? Have terrorism fears affected the market much ?
PW : Of course , golf travel is not immune to those global events that have a negative impact on tourism , from economic crises to safety concerns , from natural disasters to health scares , but golf tourism time and time again bounces back quicker than any other sector of the travel industry . Quite simply , avid golfers will not be denied their golf travel fix !
What we have seen reported now over two downturns during the past 16 years is that while the number of bookings may not drop significantly during difficult economic times , the group size does get smaller and is therefore a good indicator of the state of the market .
DG : How does 2016 compare to previous years ? Is the industry in robust health ?
PW : The global golf tourism industry has enjoyed four years of consecutive growth ( 2012-2015 ), at rates substantially higher than those experienced by general leisure tourism . This trend has continued through the first six months of 2016 but after some really significant strides that saw golf tour operator sales grow by 30-40 % since 2011 , we expect the rate of growth to slow somewhat but remain consistent and sustainable
DG : What is 2017 looking like ? Are there any noticeable trends emerging ?
PW : Forward bookings as of 1st July were up again year on year so the coming winter-sun golf travel season of the Northern Hemisphere , which runs from October to April , is looking good . It is too early to judge next year ’ s summer season but we expect long-haul bookings to be very strong and short-haul will depend on many factors including both the weather and exchange rates .
We expect Spain , Portugal , Mexico , the Dominican Republic , Thailand , Vietnam and South Africa to perform strongly , with the USA seeing a strong growth in Asian golf visitors and the UK attracting more visitors from all markets due to attractive exchange rates , while Ireland should hold its own and maintain its recent gains .
DG : Are golfers travelling longer distances to take golfbased holidays ?
PW : Ease of travel with golf clubs is an important factor in the growth of long-haul golf travel . A change of aircraft is always a worry for the golf traveller as it is presents an increased risk of a golf bag not arriving at the final destination in time for the first round of golf . So the growth of long-haul golf destinations is probably more impacted by the availability of direct flights than many
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