Ontario Golf Tourism Summit sets plans in motion for future growth
In early October golf travel supporters descended on Duntroon Highlands and the city of Collingwood to partake in the inaugural Ontario Golf Tourism Summit where participants say the day brought insights — and most importantly — emerging tactics to bring more golfers into their regions across the province.
Held Oct. 11 at the Duntroon Highlands Golf Course, South Georgian Bay, the event brought together industry leaders and operators from the golf, accommodation and tourism sectors from across Ontario.
“Golf tourism is a rapidly growing sector that brings significant economic benefits to communities,” said Sean Landreth, Blue Mountains Chamber of Commerce Vice President. “It is wonderful to be a part of this. South Georgian Bay has so many beautiful golf courses, accommodations, and things to do. It is the ideal golf destination.”
The roundtable discussion was the first of its kind to have tourism professionals, golf course operators and accommodation partners come together to better understand how each segment of the marketplace can benefit from each other. The summit featured panel discussions and networking opportunities for those in attendance to exchange best practices, set new goals and find ways to obtain those marks as planning begins to take center stage in the golf tourism industry of Ontario.
“Getting together sometimes gets lost with tourism programs. It takes everyone to ‘sell’ what we are trying to sell and it is important to show that people from all over the province care about what we are doing,” said Brad Kozak, program manager of Golf in Ontario. “We can send hundreds of thousands of dollars to partners who embrace golf travel and golf packaging. Being involved in golf travel packages is a pretty uncomplicated way to gain notoriety, additional golf course revenue and attract a consumer we all crave: a high yield golfer who is looking to spend money at their facility.”
For Mr. Kozak, he says, one of the goals was to highlight Collingwood and Blue Mountain as a top golf destination and drive growth in the region’s tourism industry.
“Golf tourism doesn’t just happen, processes and properties need to be in place to take on these willing and able travelers,” he pointed out. “We have set that up in major markets across Ontario and can only expand on what we have developed.”
A key takeaway from the featured panel discussion is on the heels of significant market growth, now is the time for golf tourism leaders to figure out what the next chapter of Ontario golf travel looks like.
“After a few years of incredible growth, changes and great stories coming from the golf industry it’s time to get together for a mix of workshop, storytelling and ultimately discussing golf travel as a whole,” Mr. Kozak said.
Golf in Ontario shared during the summit that total program revenue has reached over $2 million over the last two seasons. Boasting a staggering 8,654 rounds of golf and a total of 2,868 nights of lodging. These numbers continue to grow with groups already chomping at the bit to get their 2024 trips booked.
Martin Rydlo, Duntroon Highlands Resort owner, is reporting gains year-over-year at his Blue Mountain estate.
“We were honored to host the first Ontario Golf Tourism Summit at Duntroon Highlands,” Mr. Rydlo told the Ontario Golf Travel Report. “This region has tremendous potential as a golf travel destination — this summit helped further the partnerships among golf courses and accommodators to give visitors the breadth of experiences they seek.”
Tourism involvement continues to be a major focus with Golf in Ontario. Partnering with Regional Tourism Organizations and Destination Marketing Organizations are what is going to continue to propel this program moving forward.
“The Golf in Ontario program has been a terrific opportunity for the Bay of Quinte” says Dug Stevenson, executive director from BOQ Regional Marketing Board. “We wouldn’t be able to achieve the hundreds of thousands in economic activity that we receive each year if we went at this alone. But when we work in partnership with other destinations across the province, our dollars can go that much further. As a result, the Bay of Quinte region has become a leader in stay & play golf in the province of Ontario” he adds.
Ultimately, golf travel is a market that is relatively underserved in many markets across North America. The golf traveller is an avid and important customer in the golf business landscape and programs like Golf in Ontario continue to grow and bring to light great travel opportunities across many different markets in the province.
