The Algarve accounts for about 70% of the national golf market, an essential part of the region’s tourism offer with year-to-date figures nearly 5% up on last year’s record performance.
The number of rounds played in the region in 2016 was 10% up on the year before and the indicators for 2017 show continued growth.
According to figures released by the Tourism Association of Algarve (ATA) - the association responsible for promoting the region's tourism to foreign markets - a total of 1.17 million rounds of golf have been played so far this year, an increase of 4.6% over the same period in 2016.
"We believe we will hit a new record by the end of the year. The exponential growth that the Algarve has been registering since 2014 validates the effectiveness of the strong promotion strategy we have been developing in partnership with the golf tourism industry, whose persistence and resilience after some difficult years is to be commended," said Dora Coelho, Executive Director of the ATA.
With more than 40 golf courses in the Algarve, the region is the premier golf destination in Europe, with quality infrastructure and a good climate allowing year round play. Following the continuous promotion from the ATA, golf in the Algarve has been gaining international recognition, taking on a central role in the region's tourism revenues.
According to the latest figures from the National Institute of Statistics, the Algarve is the main tourist destination with almost 14 million overnight stays (34.6% of the total overnight stays in Portugal) and is the region with the highest number of overnight stays by foreigners (37% of total), according to the figures to August 2017.
