This week’s Nike PGA Team Championship is a precursor to a growth shoulder season for golf tourism.
The Mid Ocean Club is hosting 50 two-person PGA of Canada teams through October 27th. It’s the second consecutive year the Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA) and the Fairmont Southampton has partnered with the PGA of Canada, Nike Golf and Mid Ocean Club to put on the tournament. Visitor hotel room nights generated for the event are up eight percent year-over-year.
Meantime, forecasts for the upcoming shoulder season show a projected 23 percent increase in the number of golf visitors influenced by BTA sales and marketing efforts and a projected 29 percent growth in the estimated economic impact from those visitors.
“Our objective is to create a year-round destination and sports tourism – golf in particular – is an important part of our strategy,” said Pat Phillip-Fairn, chief product and experiences development officer for the BTA. “We’re very pleased with the calendar of visitor golf events happening across the island during the shoulder season.”
4th Quarter 2016
•Women & Golf (UK); Turtle Hill Golf Club, Port Royal Golf Course & Belmont Hills Golf Club
•Naples Country Club* (USA); Tucker’s Point Golf Club, Mid Ocean Club & Port Royal
•Lindsay Knowlton Iron Lady Golf* (Canada); Tucker’s Point, Turtle Hill, Mid Ocean & Port Royal
•PGA of Canada Club Professionals*; Port Royal
•Gosling’s Invitational; Belmont Golf Club & Port Royal Golf Course
•64th Annual Bermuda Goodwill; Tucker’s Point, Port Royal & Mid Ocean
1st Quarter 2017
•Hacker’s Cup (USA & UK); TBD
•Bedens Brooke Country Club* (USA); Mid Ocean Club, Tucker’s Point & Port Royal
•Executive Women’s Golf Association* (USA); TBD
•Grey Goose World Par 3 Championship; Turtle Hill Golf Club
*New event or newly re-established event
The shoulder season in Bermuda, which more recently is better recognized as the peak season for arts, culture and sport, is traditionally known as the five-month period between November and March. Attracting more visitors during the shoulder season is a tenet of the National Tourism Plan and seen as a critical step toward increasing profitability and employment in tourism related businesses. The BTA leverages Bermuda’s temperate climate to attract golfers, sailors, swimmers, rugby players, footballers and players of other sports during the shoulder season.
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