An Introduction

Golf tourism is perpetually faced with shifting markets and evolving products and GTS believe that what needed to achieve greater market share is a pro-active membership that will innovate, work together, comment, and participate in ways that will take golf tourism in Scotland to a new level.

How is Golf in Scotland doing competitively?  International competition continues to grow, and still not enough is done to segment and then match Scotland’s golf tourism products and markets, there continues to be fragmentation of effort, both across sectors of the industry and regions of the country, our market information is inadequate, and golf club marketing and customer service skills are variable.

Continuing to help bring the industry together in Golf Tourism Scotland and then forging a real private/public sector partnership can make Scotland not just the recognised Home of Golf but also the world’s number one golf tourism destination.  Last year saw a raft of new initiatives.  The SGU assumed the lead role in the One Plan for Golf” project; EventScotland hosted a series of cross industry meetings; VisitScotland reviewed their golf marketing and Scottish Enterprise went through a significant review of their business development support and delivery.

2009 has seen Homecoming Scotland and GTS has been involved in ensuring that golf is central to it; next year the Open Championship will be back at St Andrews and 2010 is also the 150th anniversary of the Open’s birth at Prestwick.  And then of course there’s the countdown to The Ryder Cup 2014 – a project GTS feels the industry should be much more involved in planning for.

GTS will continue to develop strong channels of communication with the public bodies but it will always remain the mouthpiece of its members and the champion of their interests.

Help us be heard.