International golf tour operators have called on Dubai’s suppliers to provide them with greater support.

“I truly believe in Dubai as a destination,” said Pascale Despieres, founder of France’s Parcours Voyages, during yesterday’s Golf Tourism seminar.  “The problem is that it is difficult to sell Dubai. Dubai as a destination doesn’t help us.”

The UAE accounts for 50% of Parcours Voyages’ outbound business but the company doesn’t receive the required support from local suppliers, she explained. “As a tour operator, we need industry support and we haven’t really received it from suppliers.”

Despieres went on to highlight the fact that golfers have very specific needs and that suppliers need to start asking the right questions in order to cater to these properly.
 
“Golfers are very specific customers – they do not have the same needs as your average leisure customer. For example, their hotels need to be located close to the course. You need good transfers, good product knowledge, and flexibility in allowing customers to choose tee times. You need to ask the right questions of operators,” she said.

“Also, French golfers are different to golfers from the UK or from Germany. They don’t travel at the same times or stay in the same places,” she pointed out.

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Terry Mancini of the UK’s Mancini Events echoed Despieres’ calls. “We need a bit of help from the airlines, golf courses and hotels. At this time, I feel like we need a bit of help from everyone. For the next year or two, everyone needs to help each other to survive.

“But everyone has their own agenda and it’s difficult to get everyone to agree to the same things,” he concluded.

Peter Walton, president of the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) highlighted the need for golfing destinations across the world to respond to the current crisis by offering quality products, greater access, creative packages and attractive pricing structures.

“Golfers are reassessing their golf travel priorities and golf destinations must respond accordingly,” he said.

He also projected that the industry would see the beginning of a recovery from September onwards.

“We believe there will be a golf tourism bounce back in September or October of this year. There is a portion of the population that genuinely cannot afford to go on holiday right now. But there are also those who are refraining from going on holiday because of the fear factor.

“Those golfers who didn’t have a holiday last winter – there is no way they are going to refrain from going again this year. They will not be denied their golf travel fix.”