So far in 2024, this segment has accounted for 42% of all bookings[1], underscoring the importance of a targeted digital approach to ensure its continued growth. In a new multimedia feature, ‘Data-driven Digital Marketing’, Claudia Bowman, Head of Marketing and CRM at the European Tour Group shares learnings from the DP World Tour’s digital marketing activities that could help golf venues achieve new and repeat direct business, while the Head of European Tour Destinations, Ian Knox, explains how defined digital marketing strategies, including advertising on social media, can help capitalise on such a profitable revenue stream. “With an estimated 5.17 billion social media users worldwide who, on average use 6.7 different social networks per month[2], it is no surprise that social media advertising is on the up,” said Knox. “The opportunity to reach target customers with laser precision has never been more compelling – and straightforward. However, it’s becoming more challenging to ensure your message is seen amid the competition.” Bowman added: “Grabbing consumers’ interest, coupled with the fact that only 17% of them allow their data to be tracked[2], means golf destinations need to think carefully about ways they can earn and foster trust with existing and potential customers. “It is therefore critical golf destinations create engaging digital content, use multiple touchpoints to gather owned customer data, and funnel this information through customer relationship management tools to help earn customer loyalty.” READ THE FEATURE. ‘Data-driven Digital Marketing’ zeroes in on: social media advertising, data capture and content management, and customer relationship management, while sharing best practice examples to help golf venues determine their digital marketing strategies for 2025 and capitalise on the growing and lucrative direct online business segment.   [1]Future Market Insights’​​Golf Tourism Market Outlook for 2024 to 2034 [2] Data Reportal, Digital 2024: Global Overview Report

Pristine fairways, centuries-old olive trees and idyllic seaside backdrops of Messinia provided the setting for the international event – the highlight of the annual golf calendar at the destination, which won five honours at this month’s World Golf Awards 2024 including the leading accolades of ‘World’s Best Golf Venue’ and “World’s Best Clubhouse”, the latter for The Bay Clubhouse. Two hundred professionals and amateurs had the opportunity to compete on three of the destination’s four 18-hole signature golf courses – The Dunes Course, The Hills Course and the International Olympic Academy Golf Course – from November 20-24, whilst enjoying a varying challenge on each. Sanctioned by the Confederation of Professional Golf, with the support of the Hellenic Golf Federation and the PGA of Greece, the 54-hole pro-am saw golfers from across the world converge for five days of fun and entertainment. They had the chance to combine world-class golf with a wealth of unique experiences at The Romanos, a Luxury Collection Resort. Competition on the fairways was as strong as ever, with Spanish professional Manuel Morugan emerging victorious in the professional event with a winning score of level par, one stroke clear of Italian Legends Tour star Emanuele Canonica. Morugan said: “I feel amazing as I didn’t come here expecting to win. I have never been to a place like this and Costa Navarino and all the courses are unbelievable. It’s the best Pro-Am I have ever played in by far. The organisation was excellent, all the people here are so friendly, and I hope that I can come back another time and enjoy it just as much.” The action in the Team Pro-Am Event was equally as fierce with Team Nikopoulos from Greece taking top honours with a total of 262 Stableford points, ten ahead of their nearest rivals.   Away from the courses, the popular tournament offered players, friends and their families the opportunity to relax and unwind through a rich and engaging programme of social events. Among the activities was a themed rock ‘n’ roll evening on Friday night, before the pro-am concluded on Saturday evening, with a dinner and prize-giving ceremony. The evening was co-hosted by Ian Randell, CEO and Aston Ward, COO of the Confederation of Professional Golf. AEGEAN, the title sponsor, offered special airline ticket fares for the tournament’s participants, complimentary transportation for golf bags and complimentary air tickets to participating professionals. Alpha Private Bank and Athens International Airport were the event’s gold sponsors. The tournament was also supported by AerCap, Pratt & Whitney and International Aero Engines, Airbus S.A.S, Vodafone Business, Korres, Cellier, Coca Cola Hellenic Bottling Company Greece, Cenergy Holdings & TEKA Systems, Autohellas Hertz, Orilina, TaylorMade, Kokotos Estate, La Cucina, UJP Law, and Vourakis Jewelry, who crafted the trophies. Finally, TESLA sponsored the ‘Hole-in-one’ trophy.

Featuring a minimum of 42 Race to Dubai tournaments in a minimum of 26 different countries, the schedule will see DP World Tour members compete for a record total prize fund of $153million outside the Major Championships. For the second consecutive season, the schedule will comprise three distinct phases, beginning with five ‘Global Swings’ followed by the ‘Back 9’, with the season then culminating with the ‘DP World Tour Play-Offs’ in November 2025. The Turkish Open, which will be played at Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort from May 8-11, marks the DP World Tour’s return to Turkey for the first time in six years, following seven previous editions of the tournament played consecutively from 2013 to 2019. The Austrian Alpine Open presented by SalzburgerLand, at Gut Altentann Golf Club from May 29 – June 1, also sees the Tour return to Austria for the first time since 2021. It will be the 23rd edition overall of Austria’s national Open, which first featured on the schedule when Bernhard Langer won the title 1990. Both tournaments will feature in the ‘European Swing’ – one of five Global Swings which form Phase One of the DP World Tour’s global schedule again in 2025. Meanwhile, as previously announced, the Nedbank Golf Challenge, in South Africa, also returns to the schedule and will be the middle event of the ‘Opening Swing’ at the end of the current 2024 calendar year. The Opening Swing begins with the season-launching BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland Golf Club in Brisbane from November 21-24, 2024. Each Global Swing has its own identity and its own champion, with exemptions into Rolex Series events and the second phase of the season – ‘the Back 9’ – also available. The ‘Back 9’ events across the autumn then give players the opportunity to secure their places in the season-ending DP World Tour Play-Offs comprising back-to-back Rolex Series events in the Middle East, the Abu Dhabi Championship (November 6-9) and the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai (November 13-16). Three Rolex Series events take place earlier in the season: the Hero Dubai Desert Classic (January 16-19), the Genesis Scottish Open (July 10-13) – which is co-sanctioned with the PGA TOUR – and the BMW PGA Championship (September 11-14). Also on the calendar in 2025 are two team match play contests – the Team Cup, which takes place at Abu Dhabi Golf Club from January 10-12 – and the 2025 Ryder Cup, when Luke Donald’s European team will attempt to retain the trophy against Keegan Bradley’s United States team at Bethpage Black in New York, from September 26-28. Some new venues also feature on the 2025 schedule. In the ‘Back 9’, the FedEx Open de France, continental Europe’s oldest national Open, moves to Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche for its 107th edition due to work taking place at Le Golf National. It is the first time the tournament has been played there since 1982 when Seve Ballesteros was triumphant. Also in the ‘Back 9’, the Amgen

Worth about US$600 billion globally currently and expected to grow to US$3.5 trillion* over the next decade, bleisure can mean working while on holiday or tagging time on the beginning or end of a work trip for pleasure. In 2023, 83% of business travellers reported taking a bleisure trip in the past 12 months**, and another survey by Expedia Group revealed that the most common trips which morph into bleisure are conferences, followed by external meetings and sales meetings. The Global Business Traveler Association (GBTA) found that 44% of business travellers went with someone else for the leisure portion of their trip***, and on average bleisure tourists spend $1,566 per trip – more than leisure alone, which averages at $1,332. So how can European Tour Destinations venues capitalise on this profitable and growing segment? Ina Kanazireva, Sales and Marketing Director at Pirin Golf & Country Club in Bulgaria, says having excellent business facilities is crucial. “We’ve worked hard on our business facilities so that companies have the complete package when they come here,” she says. “We have everything perfectly set up for work, and then we have a world-class resort and many leisure activities to enjoy when the work is done. “In the last few years we’ve seen a rise in team-building events where companies host a conference or similar and then invite employees’ families to enjoy the resort afterwards. “We’ve had business events ranging from 10 to 600 people, with  a decent percentage of any group wanting to extend their stay to enjoy the resort. It’s an important revenue stream for us. “And that’s not just the case for local and regional businesses but international companies as well. “The most important thing is to have the best possible wifi in every part of the hotel. Guests want to be connected everywhere.” David Ashington, General Manager of Costa Navarino, says the Greek resort’s stunning location and close proximity to Kalamata international airport are differentiating factors that are very appealing to its guests. “Our House of Events at Navarino Dunes is a state of the art conference centre which is very popular in the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) segment,” he says.  “Guests will often extend their stay because we’re in such a beautiful location on the Peloponnese coast. They attend a business conference here and then stay an extra two or three days. “It helps being in an accessible location. We also have many people come to stay after doing business in Athens. “We make sure working from here is very easy with comfortable workspaces, fast wifi, quiet zones, so people want to visit and extend their stay more and more.” At Linna Golf in Finland, bleisure is more about combining a meeting with a round of golf than extending a stay at the resort. “We host around 100 business events each season that include golf,” says Carita Helminen, Services Manager at Linna Golf. “That’s quite a lot given our season is a fairly short one, just over five