November 29, 2013 – Some days have passed since the International Golf Travel Market, 2013 IGTM, was held in mid-November at Lumine Mediterránea Beach & Golf Commmunity Convention Center, on the Costa Daurada. And with almost 1,400 visitors from 60 countries it is clear that it has left quite an impression on the international golf tourism community. The fruits from now, and especially from 2014 onwards, should be reflected in an increase in the arrival of European players not only to pass their golf vacation in the great golf courses of Tarragona, but also in Catalonia and throughout Spain.

To go a little deeper into effect of this very professional show, which especially brings together destinations (exhibitors) and tour operators (visitors), we interviewed Calle Carlsson, host of leading European event of IAGTO, (The Global Golf Tourism Organization), and General Manager of Lumine Golf & Beach Club.

MYGOLFWAY.COM: Who had the idea of bringing the IGTM Show to the Costa Daurada? Was it you?
CALLE CARLSSON: I couldn’t have done it without the support of our owners and together with my team, but the initial idea to bring the event here came from me.

MGW: Was it difficult to convince members of IAGTO?
CC: I wouldn’t say it was difficult, because ever since I had the idea I have always believed in this particular venue to be perfect for this event and I knew we had a very strong bid. As it is a bidding process, you have to present the event to them: ‘This is what we are going to do for the opening’, ‘this is what we are going to do every day’…

MGW: What was the goal of the show? Has it been achieved?
CC: I think that the goal has always been to get the show here. And the feedback we have so far from all the delegates is fantastic. The goal is to deliver an experience to all the delegates and to provide something that they will remember in the future. So, they will always talk about Costa Daurada, in Catalonia. This is what we wanted to do. So, the answer is yes.

MGW: And what inputs and comments have you received from tour operators?
CC: We have received only praise from everyone. Everyone is extremely impressed. That includes tour organizers, the visitors are extremely happy, and the delegates as well. We have received comments like ‘it was the best golf tournament in the history of the event’, ‘the best service’, ‘the best opening’, ‘the best show ever’. So, this is fantastic.

MGW: For Lumine, what is the effect of hosting the golf tourism international meeting point here? 
CC: From Lumine’s side this was never about Lumine. This has always been about the region. But Lumine has been a driving factor behind it, and the idea was to deliver this as a gift to the Costa Daurada Tourist Board, almost, and in the end Lumine was the one who signed the contract. This is quite unusual, because it is never a private entity that signs. It is always a government body. So for us, from Lumine’s point of view, we hope this will take our business to the next level.

MGW: For the golf destinations, has the 2014 season been at stake, in terms of reservation of rooms, sales of green fees, etc.?
CC: I think the event is more about creating the first contact. It is not about selling. It is more about creating a relationship between yourself and the tour operator, and then after the event the selling process starts.

MGW: This year Spain has been considered golf destination number 1 in Europe, but how do you see the volume of golf tourists by region in our country?
CC: Costa del Sol is still the strongest market in Spain, without a doubt. Costa Blanca is probably the second strongest region. But I think that Costa Brava has done really well. The PGA Catalunya Resort has done a fantastic job with their property. With this fair here I really think Catalonia is going to be an extremely successful region for the next couple of years. I know from the tour operators that Canary Islands and Mallorca are coming back. They were strong 10 years ago and then they had a bit of a fall in business, and are now receiving very good complements from people who have been to the Islands. They are very impressed.

MGW: What about Lumine, what are the current expectations?
CC: Our international market is growing fast and is extremely strong. We are having a fantastic year – we are going to have the strongest year in the history of our company. The projection is that 2014 is going to be even stronger. So we are very pleased.

MGW: And how is Lumine considered within the larger group of courses managed by Troon Golf worldwide?
CC: Within Troon in Europe, Lumine is, without a doubt, one of the most important venues that we have. We don’t have any venue bigger than Lumine in Europe. It is the number 1 property. There are other venues that are positioned better in the world of golf – for instance Turnbury, where they played the British Open in June, which is extremely important for Troon, but if you look at the size of the property and the business, Lumine is probably one of the most important resource centres that Troon has in Europe.

MGW: In 2014, do you think Lumine will beat this year’s record of 400 rounds in a day?
CC: We will do that in April. We couldn’t do it in October because we didn’t have any more tee starts to sell, due to daylight. But in April we will have more daylight, so we will be able to sell more… So the next goal is 500, ha, ha.

MGW: And finally, when will there be a tournament of the European Tour in Lumine?
CC: We are waiting for the Spanish Golf Royal Federation to invite us, because we are ready. But for that, we are waiting for the question to be asked.

Por REDACCIÓN