Golf extends Antalya tourism to 12 months

ANTALYA

While 460,000 rounds were played on golf courses in the Belek tourism region of the southern province of Antalya's Serik district in 2023, a general manager of the golf club, has emphasized that golf is a tool that spreads tourism to 12 months, considering that players are active for eight months.

Speaking about golf tourism, Cahit Şahin, the general manager of a 5-star hotel’s golf club, said that golf courses were opened in the Belek region in the 1990s and today there are 16 courses in the region.

Stating that the number of hotels, which was around 15 in the first years with the spread of golf courses, has reached 50, Şahin said, "The biggest contribution of golf tourism to the Belek tourism region is that it has become a region where tourism is practiced for 12 months without interruption. Considering that players are active for eight months, golf is a tool that spreads tourism for 12 months."

The general manager mentioned that they see Spain and Portugal in particular as competitors in golf tourism.

"Portugal has about 350 golf courses and Spain has about 450 golf courses and they make huge budget inputs. Their number of golf courses is much higher than ours," he said.

"There are 16 golf courses in the Belek region and around 550,000 rounds are played annually. This is equivalent to about 120,000 people per year," he added.

Noting that Germans are the first to come to the region, followed by the British, Şahin said, "Then we see Russian golfers in December and January. Tourists from Korea, China and Eastern European countries are constantly coming to our country."

"The added value that golfers provide through accommodation and playing expenses is higher than that of a normal tourist, but the money earned from a golfer coming to the course for a week is in the range of 1,400 euros and varies depending on the season," he said.

Stating that golfers prefer an environment where they will not be disturbed especially after the game, Şahin said that when they want to go shopping in the city, they want to see areas without rush hour traffic and local restaurants, and that this situation attracts the attention of golfers in terms of promoting the region.

"Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, has seen the benefits of golf for tourism and he has set out with the motto '12 months of tourism' and golf tourism is what makes this possible," the general manager said.

“We will also see new courses in other regions. In golf tourism, Türkiye will hopefully reach the place it deserves in a short time,” he concluded.