Gulf Coast Regional Tourism partnership supported advertising in Golf, Golf Digest & Golf Channel
Biloxi, February 9, 2012: While Mardi Gras celebrations are all over the Gulf Coast this month – the golf industry is celebrating golf tourism bookings being up for spring season. Golf tourists as far away as Europe are booking tee-times and rooms this spring at a pace of 19.41% ahead of last year. Total rounds, which include local, regional and tourism rounds, are up even more – over 27% or 5000 rounds over pre-bookings this time last year for spring. It’s an early indicator golf bookings, but it’s clearly better to be ahead than behind. A study found golfers take 60% more trips, travel 62% more days, took an estimated 14 million golf vacations & spent an estimated $22 billion on travel.
When golf visitor’s travel to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, only 20% of those expenditures is on golf, but 80% is spent on rooms at area hotels, dining at area restaurants, transportation at the local airport and entertainment including gaming. “Golf provides a tremendous economic impact and its impact is felt far beyond the golf course,” says Kevin Drum, Executive Director of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Golf Association, “Also – golf visitors come from farther away and stay longer than the typical visitor and are an attractive demographic because they are committed to golf tourism even when the economy isn’t doing well,” says Drum. The Coast Golf Tourism Partnership, managed by the Mississippi Gulf Coast Golf Association, has over 40 hotels, casinos, condos and golf packagers as associate members. The lodging partners work together with the 12 area golf courses which fund it to increase golf tourism’s economic impact under the “Golf Coast” Mississippi brand and represent all three Mississippi Coast Counties.
One of the main reasons for this year’s success is grant funding the golf tourism partnership received from the newly formed three-county tourism partnership. “We have been marketing golf tourism for 12 years as a three county organization and it’s nice to have a partner that has the same geography. The grant we received from the Tri-County Tourism Partnership allowed us to extend our reach beyond regional markets in Golf Digest, Golf Magazine and Golf Channel. With more support this year we plan on having even more success,” says Drum. The golf partnership not only acts as the golf destination marketing organization for the coast, it produces the Official Golf Package Guide of the MS Gulf Coast and distributes over 150,0000 yearly under the trademarked brand “Golf Coast” Mississippi. This, combined with attending 16 golf consumer shows in the Mid-West, drives golf visitors to the partnerships web site – www.Golfcoast.com. This effort has earned the golf partnership over 40 awards for their efforts including “Tourism Promotion of the Year” from Governor Haley Barbour in 2005. “The entire Gulf Coast benefits from golf tourism visitors and our association’s goal has been to increase golf’s economic impact,” says Mike Buckley, President of the MS Gulf Coast Golf Association, “this is a clear sign its working,” says Buckley.
To view the Golf Channel TV spot Click Here or for more info on the Coast Golf Tourism Partnership or to request a FREE Golf Package Planner or a FREE Golf Package Quote go to www.GolfCoast.com or call 866-383-GOLF.
Contact:
Kevin Drum, Executive Director
KEVIN@GOLFCOAST.COM
WWW.GOLFCOAST.COM
