Golf Tourism England receives Government support through the Discover England Fund to target the lucrative golf tourism market and drive inbound golf tourism
The UK government, in collaboration with Visit England has unveiled a series of strategic investments, designed to grow the tourism economy for the nation. Golf Tourism England was one of a number of successful applicants in the first tranche of investments from the Discover England Fund, which sets out to ensure that England stays competitive in the rapidly growing global tourism industry, by offering world-class English tourism products to the right customers at the right time. The team at Golf Tourism England were amongst the first to receive the grant, which comes on the back of quite a period of distinction for England’s golf world.
VisitEngland Chief Executive Sally Balcombe said, “Golf tourism is a fast-growing and competitive sector of the tourism industry and this investment will increase England’s market share by building world-class tourism products that convert aspiration to visit into bookings as we drive inbound tourism and spread its economic benefits across the regions of England.”
Golf Tourism England, an association set up to represent the interests of English golf clubs and support the education and infrastructure of wider tourism stakeholders, has been awarded one of the first grants from the Discover England fund. The organisation was set up in 2014 and has made significant inroads, developing new product strands and unlocking new trade partnerships, providing a clear pathway to increased inbound visitor volumes.
“Golf has been a traditional stronghold for many destinations’ global inbound tourism strategies,” commented Andrew Cooke, CEO of Golf Tourism England. “Two things have been clear since setting up the association; the quality and depth of the golf product in England and the willingness of stakeholders to collaborate on cumulative strategies to drive their businesses forward. It has been this cumulative attraction approach of pooling assets into clusters that has really brought England’s golf product to life and showcased it against the very best the world of golf has to offer.”
Yorkshire born Masters’ Champion, Danny Willett was quick to praise the Government’s commitment to investing in England’s golf tourism framework, “It is a champagne era for golf in England and I think it is a great move from the Government to invest in positioning the country in the minds of international golfers. There is an abundance of great courses, across all of the counties that together create a match for the very best golf destinations in the world.”
The fund will support Golf Tourism England’s product development strategy with funding and internal resource support. With their internal channels and global connectivity, VisitEngland and VisitBritain will work in conjunction with GTE to fuel increased interest within the valuable golf consumer sector.
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For further information contact Jed Moore: jmoore@golftourismengland.com
Or visit www.golftourismengland.com
About Golf Tourism England
Golf Tourism England is the membership body that represents the golf tourism industry in England, committed to the delivery of a first class golf travel experience across England.
It was set-up in 2014 to promote England as a major golfing destination, and is responsible for the strategy and implementation of marketing activities that benefit its members.
About the Discover England Fund
In November 2015, the Government announced a £40 million Discover England Fund; an unprecedented opportunity for English tourism. The fund aims to deliver world-class bookable tourism products joined up across geographies and/or themes; including integrated transport and technological solutions to provide an end-to-end customer experience.
The three-year funding will support: a number of projects and pilots in year one (2016/17) to test and develop product development approaches and; a small number of large-scale collaborative and innovative bids that deliver world class product ‘itineraries’ in years two and three (2017-19)
The fund will support the growth of one of England’s most successful export industries, inbound tourism. Tourism is an industry that delivers jobs and economic growth across the English regions – generating £106 billion a year and employing over 2 million people, with a strong domestic market. England has seen record tourism spend in the past year from both domestic and international visitors. The number of domestic overnight trips taken in England grew by 11% in 2015 while inbound visits have shown strong regional growth in the first nine months of 2015 – plus 23% to North East, plus 12% to the North West and plus 6% to the South West for example.
About VisitBritain/VisitEngland
As the national tourism agency – a non-departmental public body funded by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), VisitBritain/VisitEngland plays a unique role in building England’s tourism product, raising Britain’s profile worldwide, increasing the volume and value of tourism exports and developing England and Britain’s visitor economy.
Working with a wide range of partners in both the UK and overseas, our mission is to grow the volume and value of inbound tourism across the nations and regions of Britain and to develop world-class English tourism product to support our growth aspirations.
For further information and to access the latest in-depth market intelligence and statistics visit www.visitbritain.org / www.visitbritain.com & www.visitengland.com for consumer information.