Foreign golf clubs see surge in UK spring bookings

Golf clubs in the Mediterranean and the Middle East have reported a surge in bookings from UK golfers this spring.

Praia D’El Rey Marriott Golf & Beach Resort in Portugal, for example, is reporting a double-digit growth in bookings this spring compared to pre-lockdown levels in 2019.

Praia D’El Rey Marriott Golf & Beach Resort

The venue says it has enjoyed increased interest from golfers in the UK and France, with bookings for March and April also up from The Netherlands and Italy compared to three years ago.

The club’s António Ferreira da Silva said: “After all the challenges of the last two years, it’s very encouraging to see how strong bookings have been so far this year.”

Meanwhile, golf clubs in Abu Dhabi have said they received an uptick in booking enquiries to play their courses from international golfers when it was announced in March that people travelling to the emirate no longer needed to take a Covid test.

Praia D’El Rey Marriott Golf & Beach Resort

Due to it currently being the UAE’s ‘peak season’ with cooler weather, Yas Links Abu Dhabi and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club, for example, say they have been working closely with tour operators amid what they say has been “an influx” of domestic and international visitors.