What will golf tourism be like in 2021?

It is no secret that the entire tourism sector has been hit hard in 2020, including those who offer golfing holidays, trips and coaching. The hope is that by the time we get into the main part of 2021, and the usually busy summer period, things will be much better.

The good news for those offering golf tourism is that there are many golfers out there who have missed out on their annual trip away to experience a combination of great golf and of course great sun. These people are desperate to fill the void they currently have.

Assuming they are allowed to travel away and enjoy golfing holidays like we have all done in the past, the golf tourism industry in 2021 could be in for a much-needed timely boost. However, we are seeing signs of people not committing at the moment, which shouldn’t come as a surprise and the industry will have to get over that hurdle if it is to have a good year.

The Lure of Visiting Some of the Best Courses in the World

Many things drive the golf tourism industry but there is no doubt that one of the biggest is that people want to visit and play on the best courses in the world. This allows us all to dream big and try to emulate things what we have seen on our TV screens from the best in the world. Many out there won’t have been able to do that in 2020, the hope is that 2021 can provide us with the opportunity to get out there and flex our golf equipment once again.

With a change of date, the US Masters will take place in November during 2020, leaving it fresh in the mind of golfers who are heading out in the first half of 2021. Should any player do something special at Augusta, you can be sure that golfers around the world will be trying to emulate it. We have seen some excellent winners in this tournament over the years. We can also report that the annual Masters Champion Dinner will take place on November 12^th and Betway have done a summary of the favourite menus over the years with Tiger Woods hosting all 96 players carrying on the golf tradition which started back in 1952.

However, there is a slight worry for the industry at the moment and that is the number of players who have already made plans for 2021. This is less than half of golfers asked in a recent survey, with the majority looking to wait and see what happens before committing to something.

This is obviously not ideal, but at the same time, it could be seen as simply people waiting before they commit, rather than booking well in advance as they would do in a normal year. Until bookings are seen to be well down, it is probably not time to panic for the industry just yet.

With travel restrictions currently in place for many parts of the world and many changes being made to those restrictions, seemingly on a monthly basis, what may look safe to book one month could not be the same a month later.

If people are allowed to travel, the golf tourism industry will find people flocking back, but it may have to ride a wave of uncertainty for a little longer yet before things return to some kind of normality.