Planning luxury golf holidays in Portugal and Spain made easy

With a final turn in par of the course, Pedro Figueiredo concluded his participation in the Euram Bank Open in 12th position. Vítor Lopes, from the Algarve, scored 72 strokes (+2) in the last round and finished in 44th place.

With birdies on holes 3 and 11 and bogeys on holes 9 and 16, Figueiredo reached the end of the Challenge Tour event that took place in Ramsau (Austria). The Portuguese golfer made a total of 276 strokes (71+69+66+70, -4), which earned him a prize of 4,000 euros.

Thanks to an excellent final round of 63 strokes (-8), which was the best of the day, Tomás Bessa finished third in the Fred Olsen Alps de la Gomera 2022, from the Alps Tour, in the Tecina Golf La Gomera.

Tomás Bessa concluded the tournament with an aggregate of 199 strokes (69+67+63, -14), just one stroke away from Dutchman Vince Van Veen, who managed to achieve his first title on the Alps Tour by imposing himself on the first hole of a playoff by sudden death played with Frenchman Julien Sale.

The presence of two amateur players in the top places turned out to be beneficial for the Portuguese golfer, who thus saw his prize-money increasing to 3,250 euros.

On the outskirts of Edinburgh, the Trust Golf Link Series of the LET Access Series had the participation of Leonor Bessa, who concluded the Scottish tournament in 18th place.

With rounds of 76, 73 and 74, the Portuguese player totaled 223 strokes (+7). In the Ranking of the LET Access Series Leonor Bessa is now ranked 64th. The champion was the Thai Arpichaya Yubol, with 206 strokes (-10), with a five-stroke advantage over the runners-up duo. The next event on this access circuit to the Ladies European Tour is the Santander Golf Tour Málaga, which will be played next week, between the 21st and 23rd of July, at Golf Torrequebrada.

Intense nightlife, charming streets, and an abundance of excellent restaurants make it difficult to leave Porto. However, the city itself is only the tip of the iceberg. There is a lot to visit in the Porto region during your golf holidays in Portugal.

On a day excursion from Porto, you may explore the mountains, historic castles, and vineyards perched high above the valleys below. Porto is an excellent starting point for seeing northern Portugal's natural attractions, such as the rough paths and cascading waterfalls of the Minho region.

The main attraction around Porto is the Douro Valley. There are immaculate rows of terraced vineyards winding along both banks of the Douro River in the Douro Valley, which is an upriver destination and the core of Portugal's famous port-wine industry.

Most wineries and quintas in the Douro Valley provide vineyard tours and tastings, which enhance the overall experience (note that some close over the cooler months). It's best to take a one-hour river cruise from Pinhão to get a full sense of the valley's size or the "Rabelo" (traditional wooden cargo boat).

After visiting the Douro Valley, check out Amarante. A one-of-a-kind destination for those interested in fine art, architecture, and downright revolting baked products. To increase your chances of finding love, rub the statue over the tomb of São Gonçalo's church and monastery after having a taste of their trademark cake.

To the left of the church, the Ponte de São Gonçalo spans the Tâmega, providing access to both sides of the river. A Portuguese victory against the French took place on this arched bridge during the Peninsular War, and it today serves as the primary traffic entrance to town for visitors and residents. Below the bridge, a trail follows the Tâmega River as it gently curves. To get a taste of the region's famous smoked meats and vinho verde, cross the bridge and explore the narrow alleyways on either side of the river.

After Amarante, go north and visit Braga. Beautiful water features and charming shops dot the ancient metropolis of Braga, making it an ideal destination for anyone who enjoy walking. Take a trip around the Jardim de Santa Bárbara and visit the Sé, the oldest cathedral in Portugal, to get a glimpse inside. Awe-inspiring examples of some of the country's finest architectural styles are on display here.

Bom Jesus do Monte, a five-kilometer drive from Braga's center, is one of the city's most popular attractions. The baroque stairway zigzagging up to the church at the bottom of the hill is as much of a draw as the building itself. If you don't have time to climb the 580 stairs on foot, use the funicular to the peak: the views from the top are spectacular.

Those who love nature will surely love the National Park of Peneda-Gerês. This park is full of small villages, stunning views from the mountains, waterfalls, and hiking trails. There’s also a chance of finding snow in the winter.

Near Braga, visit Guimarães. This city is the birthplace of Portugal and the main attractions are the Guimarães Castle, the statue of Portugal’s first king Afonso Henriques, the palace of Bragança’s Dukes, and the main square, where you’ll find great traditional restaurants with authentic Portuguese food.

The Real Club de Golf El Prat received the Biosphere accreditation and distinction of the program 'Commitment to Tourism Sustainability Destination Barcelona' on June 28 at an event held at La Llotja de Mar in Barcelona.

One of the pillars of the Strategic Plan that the RCGP Board of Directors assumed as a priority is environmental sustainability. After the completion of the Sustainable Course Plan with the remodeling of the Amarillo and Vallés routes, the club continues to advance in this objective. This certificate demonstrates the commitment to offer sustainable tourism that respects the environment and the social and economic return to the territory.

The project, born in 2017 and promoted by the Barcelona Provincial Council, the Responsible Tourism Institute (ITR), the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, the Barcelona City Council, and the Barcelona Tourism Consortium, aims to recognize those entities that are committed to respecting the environment, culture and the social and economic return of the city and the counties of Barcelona. The commitment bases its methodology on work around the 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

Safe Travels, a first-of-its-kind seal that recognizes enterprises, organizations, and destinations taking preventative and sanitary measures against COVID-19 in any country, has also been awarded to the RCG El Prat, creating a safe environment for travelers.

The Commitment to Tourism Sustainability Destination Barcelona Biosphere responds both to the desire to promote more careful tourism by tour operators, as well as to the wishes of visitors to be able to travel while respecting the environment as much as possible. The deployment of these measures supposes a new tourist positioning, which increases the competitiveness of the Barcelona Destination, formed by the city of Barcelona and the twelve counties of the province.

Barcelona became the first destination in the world to acquire the Platium Certification from its own institutions for its commitment to promoting tourism that is environmentally friendly and respectful. Barcelona, the capital of the Catalonia region, also became the first city in the world to be certified as a Biosphere in 2011.

To help recover the good statistics in Huelva, the Provincial Tourism Board of the Huelva Provincial Council, together with the Provincial Association of Golf Courses of Huelva have shown the magnificent offer offered by the destination, both aimed at the professional sector/specialized tour operator in the main European markets, as well as at the final customer, who seeks golf holidays.

In this sense, a new edition of the Huelva la Luz International Golf Trophy event has been held in Liverpool from July 5 to 7, framed in the Special Actions Agreement signed between the Huelva Provincial Tourist Board and the Public Company for Andalusian Tourism. Around 20 tour operators of 6 nationalities had the opportunity to hold meetings and commercial relations with all the Huelva golf offer that has participated in this event.

It is a direct action to present the destination of close public-private collaboration to a very specialized segment that offers the possibility of holding meetings during two very favorable days to approach commercial agreements for the next golf season, of vital importance for the Huelva destination (Costa de la Luz), that is flanked to the east and west by other well-established golf destinations.
The golf industry, like the rest of the tourism industry, has had a terrible time since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, but signs of recovery are beginning to be seen in the flow of visitors, notably international golfers, which exhibits an evident feature of helping to deseasonalize.

Figures from previous years show that this is a key sector for tourism in the province of Huelva, generating employment, a high level of spending and a deseasonalizing element par excellence.

According to the golf occupancy data at the end of last May, taking as a reference occupancy data from the month of September 2021 - the start of the golf tour operation season - 176,586 green fees were sold.

Although facing the last half of the year, there is optimism on the part of the sector to be able to reach the volume of departures achieved in 2019, which represents a direct impact for the destination of just over 32.5 million euros, in addition to generating around 23% of the total overnight stays of the destination among all the segments.