The capital is on course to become one of the world’s top golfing destinations according to a new report.
The statistics, which were released by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) at the inaugural HSBC Golf Business Forum, revealed that one in every four rounds of golf in Abu Dhabi is played by an international traveller.
The capital also rose from ninth to fourth position in the IAGTO annual list of the world’s emerging golfing hotpots.
The achievement comes as a result of continued investment from local organisations including the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority’s (TCA Abu Dhabi) Golf in Abu Dhabi Initiative to attract overseas visitors.
“We are on an upward trajectory with golf,” said Faisal Al Shaikh, director TCA Abu Dhabi’s Events Bureau. “We now have over 400 operators worldwide selling our golf packages to our emirate and are highly encouraged by the recent naming of Abu Dhabi by the UK’s prestigious Golf Today magazine as ‘the runaway destination of choice’.”
Abu Dhabi Golf Club, Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and Yas Links have all seen a rise in international players from Germany, UK, South Korea, China and India, with the number of overseas rounds increasing 19 per cent in the first quarter of 2014. The total number of rounds played in Abu Dhabi in quarter one stood at 43,046.
The HSBC Golf Business Forum, which was hosted at the Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa, is a leading conference that sees over 200 industry professionals come together from Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
