IAGTO Awards return with a mission

We purposefully chose not to run the Awards last year because any golf travel that was happening, was largely domestic. It was not a time, in our opinion, for crowning golf destinations and golf resorts of the year.

So this year we had the whole pandemic era to reflect on, stretching back to March 2020 and still far from over. Here at IAGTO we have had a ring-side seat watching the impact of Covid unfold within our industry, and we were witness so many acts of goodwill and understanding between our member companies working together. In fact it is no exageration to say that without the long-term view taken of so many of our members, golf travel would have hit a wall.

All of these efforts are now paying off as demand for golf travel surges once again, and having put the golf traveller first during these past 18 months, the favour has been returned and golfers are booking with golf tour operators in record numbers in the knowledge that, whatever happens, they are going to be well looked after.

I have gone off at a tangent, so let me get back to the Awards. So, in September we decided to turn over this year’s Awards entirely to all those amazing companies and organizations who made such tremendous efforts in 2020 and 2021. All IAGTO members across the globe, totalling more than 2500, were invited to nominate golf tourism industry partners who had been particularly helpful and supportive.

We had well over 750 nominations for a total of 342 companies from all categories of business, each one with an accompanying story to tell. So we are not raising one above another, just thanking all of these Award recipients for the strength they have leant to our industry.

We mustn’t forget that there are many golf destinations that have still not reopened to international travel, and that we still have a long way to go. Well done to everyone and keep up this spirit!