In Sweden alone there are more than 450 golf courses and the number of practitioners of the sport that has made Jon Rahm a billionaire exceeds half a million. And in a country of just 5.5 million inhabitants, like Finland, the number of players is close to 150,000, with more than 120 fields at their disposal. Such a hobby and the harsh winter climate that complicates the practice of their favorite sport for months, causes thousands of them to travel to southern Europe loaded with their best clubs.
For this reason, the Costa Blanca includes the golf offer as a priority in its tourism strategy for the Nordic market. Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland have more than 26 million inhabitants who make 38 million international trips a year. And the Costa Blanca Board of Trustees will participate in the ‘Matka Nordic Travel Fair’ to be held in Helsinki, Finland, from January 18 to 21, with a promotional strategy focused on highlighting, mainly, the golf product associated with the hotel accommodations of the province.
The Helsinki fair is the busiest and most successful event in the tourism industry in northern Europe
This meeting is the most popular and successful event in the tourism industry in northern Europe, which is why it constitutes a powerful showcase to show the offer of the Alicante municipalities, as well as to establish and close contacts with the Nordic countries, the Baltics and Russia.
It is estimated that during its four days of celebration the fair will receive more than 70,000 visitors, of which around 21,000 are professionals in the travel sector. In addition, some 1,200 media outlets cover the fair each year.
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According to data from 2019, the last extensive study carried out on golf in the Valencian Community by the Alicante Chamber of Commerce, this sport generated a turnover of 493.7 million euros throughout the province.
It is estimated that 85% of the users are non-resident foreigners, almost half, around 40%, are British, while 28% come from the Nordic countries and 11% are French.
A study by the Chamber in 2019 says that golf generated a turnover of 493.7 million euros throughout the province.
The director of the autonomous body of the Alicante Provincial Council, José Mancebo, explains that Finland “is an interesting market for the Costa Blanca due to its economic stability and because it is one of the countries that travels the most in Europe per inhabitant.”
Mancebo affirms that Finnish tourists are currently looking for “new destinations and prioritize family tourism, a segment in which the province of Alicante meets their expectations thanks to a varied cultural, leisure and gastronomic offer that is complemented by a climate favorable and with competitive prices.”
Henrik Stenson is one of the outstanding Swedish players.
EFE
The Scandinavian economies are the ones that have obtained the best results in Europe despite the crisis, a circumstance that has allowed their growth as an issuer. In the 2022-2023 winter season, the Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport had 330 flights and almost 60,000 seats in connection with Helsinki, a figure that represents more than 77% compared to the same period of the previous year.
The airlines that operate direct flights with the capital of Finland are Finnair and Rynair, with two flights per week each, and Norwegian, with direct departures every day.
Elx will promote golf in schools
Yesterday, Friday, January 12, the Elx Sports Department signed a collaboration agreement with the Golf Federation of the Valencian Community whose objective is to promote and encourage this sport and its specialties in the city. The councilor of the area, José Navarro and the manager of the Valencian Golf Federation, Juan Manuel Verdú, were the representatives who formalized the signing of the agreement. In this way, the aim is to increase the sports offer in the municipality and promote sports practice among the entire population, of all ages. To this end, both parties have committed to carrying out campaigns in schools that encourage the little ones to start playing golf or to organize activities related to the promotion of this sport, both grassroots and amateur and both school-age and in adult. Finally, the agreement includes the holding of meetings, seminars and conferences in Elx, on sports activities related to the Golf Federation of the Valencian Community.
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