The global golf tourism market is reported to grow by a staggering USD 41.04 Billion during 2021-2025 , but what are the challenges and opportunities facing Golf Destinations in 2023 and beyond?
The Golf Industry continues to evolve in-line with the recent impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve seen a global shift in membership models, revised event formats, the global golf demographic whereby female participation is at a global high and a significant rise in the use of technology on and off the course.
Global golf tourism is no different. Our analysis of a dataset consisting of 3,000+ keywords shows that golf tourism related searches are up 143% year-on-year.
This represents a significant opportunity for destinations, resorts and clubs in-line with the renewal of interest in both the game of golf, and those travelling to experience it.
But what challenges do golf resorts, clubs & courses need to overcome before they can fully reap the rewards from the rise in global golf tourism and participation?
A key selling point for golf tourists booking golf breaks is convenience. Despite the latest technological solutions, golfers have been happy to streamline the booking process via the use of OTO’s (Online Tour Operators), so much so that these OTO’s now control more than 87% of golf holiday packages sold worldwide[1].
But how can golf resorts, courses and clubs’ benefit from taking back control?
While OTO’s have historically dominated global golf tourism, venues can now take control of their own sales funnel to ensure profitability is optimized. Typical commissions of OTO’s are between 10-16% dependent on annual sales volume[2], presenting venues with a notable direct sales opportunity in a market forecasted to grow by a staggering USD 41.04 Billion by 2025.
For brands to take control of their own sales funnel and maximize the opportunity in 2023, it’s vital to:
1. Optimize Brand Messaging: 77% of consumers buy from brands who share the same values as them[3]. Clear and definitive brand messaging provides external credibility, builds trust and enables clients to understand your brands value and values.
2. Ensure E-Commerce Platform is Easy to Find: 60% of users click on one of the top three organic search engine results[4]. Ensuring your e-commerce platform is ‘easy to find’ in search engines is imperative to drive direct sales and enhance profitability.
3. Offer a Premium User Experience (UX): It takes users 0.05 seconds to form an opinion about your website[5]. This is critical in building trust and credibility. Think about the content on your website. Is it optimized? How do brand assets appear on your homepage? Are multimedia assets optimized for specific platforms? Ensure a smooth experience for prospects to search, and capitalize on, what you have to offer.
Ultimately, 2023 is about brands taking control of global golf tourism and increasing direct customer sales.
[1] IAGTO, 2019.
[2] Host Agency Reviews, 2020.
[3] Havas Group, 2019.
[4] Bing Digital – Importance of Search, 2019.
[5] 8ways, 2019.