Rob Horgan
THE Costa del Sol tourism board has set its sights on dominating the golf tourism market.
President of the board, Elias Bendodo, wants Malaga to attract 20% of all golfers heading to Spain.
In order to achieve the ambitious plan, Bendodo has increased the advertising and promotion budget by 15% compared to 2015.
“The Costa del Sol shouldbe the number one destination for golfers travelling to Spain,” he said.
“It has hosted over 50 tournaments in the last four decades, including the 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama and the 2012 Volvo Match Play tournament.
“This September the Women’s Open will take its turn as yet another major competition chooses the Costa del Sol.”
Another bad decision against sustainability to adversely affect life quality of local population. Of course banks and investors in bars and hotels will do well. But they won’t live there.
Another proof of the incompetence of Costa del Sol tourism board! They are only able to promote ‘more’ of what already exists. But they refuse to think about new business opportunities which could bring new tourists to spain instead of wooing away existing customers from other parts of the country.
Why refuses Elias Bendodo to promote hiking tourism in the backyard of Costa del Sol? Why is the Costa del Sol tourism board not participating in Europe’s greatest hiking exhibition ‘Tournatur’ at Düsseldorf? (the Canary Islands and the Pyrenees and Cyprus are represented there since many years). This would cost 5% of his budget for Golfers and may attract 10 million of German hikers who are looking for hiking opportunities in the cold months of Germany.
But hiking brings no payoffs to banking construction consortia.
Chas ,
you’ve nailed it in one. Whenever I post the question – is business a function of society or is society a function of business, the pro business crowd go silent.
There was an excellent article from the OP about Andalucia exporting all their hundreds of thousands of years old aquifier water via plastic land’s salad crops, water that will never be replaced.
Having lived behind the Snowy mountains and knowing only too well how horrendous summer temperatures. I am amazed how many stupid people there are who visit andalucia’s hinterland in summer, when the winter weather can be glorious with dry cold sunny, very healthy weather. Having met and talked with both German and Dutch off road/onroad cyclists I have met in the summer months, I have persuaded many to return in the winter.
As Wolfgang says there are a lot of northerners who hate the summer heat. If these were to visit in winter this would mean lots of business for the interior villages and towns but of vourse they don’t have the clout of the cities to put their position.
The foothills of the sierras would make excellent locations for those with breathing/lung problems to spend the winter, Switzerland long ago lost the right to host these people as it has been surrounded by heavy industry in all directions for a long time. I tried to promote this idea to business people in Guadix, closed dead minds did’nt respond.