The 150th Open Championship in St Andrews this summer could benefit the local economy to the tune of more than £100 million.
The championship returns to the home of golf this July after a seven-year absence.
VisitScotland director of events Paul Bush is looking forward to the world’s best golfers returning to Fife.
He said: “The Open this year will be very special. The demand for tickets shows that – it far exceeds supply.
“The R&A will put on a fantastic event for a landmark, historic occasion. It’s a uniquely special place in golfing history.”
A week after the Old Course plays host to The Open, the 2022 Senior Open will be played in Courier Country. It is being held at Gleneagles for the first time.
Mr Bush believes hosting that event is a real coup for the Perthshire club.
“It’s a real positive is getting the Senior Open to Gleneagles for its first-ever major on the back of hosting the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup.
“I believe it’s the only course to have done that, so it will be really exciting,”
Mr Bush was speaking ahead of the return of Scottish Golf Tourism Week, to take place in St Andrews this week.
Scottish Golf Tourism Week is the country’s biggest golf industry conference.
It gives Scottish suppliers the opportunity to meet tour operators from around the world with the aim of bringing golf tourists to Scotland.
A partnership between PSP Media, VisitScotland and Scottish Enterprise, the event takes place at the Fairmont Hotel.
Scottish Golf Tourism Week a crucial event
The event began in 2016 and took place annually until 2019. The pandemic caused its cancellation 2020. The 2021 event was postponed until now.
Mr Bush, who will attend the event, said it is a crucial time for the golf tourism industry.
He said: “This year will be the biggest year ever for golf in Scotland.
“It’s a great opportunity to sell that, and what it does for the economy.
“I do sense we’re starting to get over the hump of Covid. It feels like things are returning to some normality.”
This summer, Scotland will host The Open, Scottish Open, Senior Open, Women’s Scottish Open, AIG Women’s Open and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship between July and October.
Mr Bush added: “Most people would have their right hand to have one of those, but we’ve got them all.
“Scottish Golf Tourism Week is the cornerstone of all the events in the summer.
“It is critical to golf tourism and the people that work in it.”
Operators bring 50,000 golfers to Scotland
The event will feature over 80 Scottish golf businesses and 80 international tour operators conducting approximately 4,000 meetings.
The tour operators in attendance will be responsible for bringing about 50,000 golfers into Scotland.
Demand for tickets for The Open well exceeded demand with 1.1m applications – four times the likely total capacity.
The Scottish Government reports that the golf industry in Scotland is worth more than £1.1 billion.
Golf tourism accounts for approximately £286m annually, supporting around 4,400 jobs.
VisitScotland invests more than £3m annually to support golf events and to market Scotland globally as the home of golf.
