The Algarve Tourist Association has reported record figures from the booming golf market with 691,676 rounds played in the first half of 2016, an increase of 15% over the same period in 2015.
Last year’s 1.2 million rounds is the figure to beat and the association is optimistic that this year’s golf market will continue to grow and exceed last year's impressive numbers.
"In this special year in which the Algarve is celebrating 50 years of golf in the region, these results are very encouraging and we believe that the trend one of continued growth, in particular due to the strong promotional strategy that we have developed in partnership with the golf tourism industry," said Dora Coelho, executive director of the ATA.
Whether you play or not, golf is a market of "extreme relevance to the Algarve, in that it contributes significantly as a strong and effective alternative in the fight against seasonality and the heavy reliance on sun and sand tourism," stresses the association.
Some complain that the Algarve has too many golf courses but with just over 40 spread across region, other argue than there is room for more with attendant economic benefits.
The different types of course make the Algarve a "destination of golf course excellence, highlighting the quality of infrastructure and the good weather that allows golf throughout the year."
The golf market, despite a nasty VAT hike at the beginning of the recession, has proved resilient and the image of the Algarve as a golfing destination has continued to improve as award after award is won against international competition.
Golfers come from Britain. The next country of importance is Germany followed by the Netherlands and Ireland whose dedication to the tees and greens of the sunny south is matched by their generosity in the 19th.
