Portugal Golf Holidays – Madeira recognized as a sustainable destination

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Madeira Island. Madeira recognized as a sustainable tourist destination

Madeira won EarthCheck’s Silver Award

The Regional Secretariat for Tourism and Culture announced that EarthCheck, an international certifying authority in this sector, has granted the Autonomous Region of Madeira with the Silver award, recognising it as a “sustainable tourism destination”.

Madeiran in-charge secretary Eduardo Jesus told that the award “reinforces the presentation of Madeira as a tourism destination with an emphasis on sustainable development”.

This certification, Eduardo Jesus said, is of the highest significance because it “responds to the concerns of customers” and “will have implications not just for those who visit, but also for those who reside in Madeira”.

According to Eduardo Jesus, “sustainability is a journey, a process of continual development”, which is why “every year, the region will illustrate, in its annual audit, the progress and evolution in this journey and dedication to the four pillars of sustainability: economic, environmental, cultural, and social”.

The sustainable development of the territory and the engagement of the entire local community “is a crucial step in the affirmation of Madeira as a must-visit destination at a worldwide level”, he remarked.

The Madeira Regional Secretariat for Tourism and Culture’s Directorate of Tourism began the certification procedure towards the end of July 2021.

There is more good news: within five years, the region could receive a higher level of EarthCheck certification: Gold.

Nomadays, the Madeira region has 3 spectacular golf courses: 2 in Madeira Island and 1 in Porto Santo, and counts with several outstanding and glamorous hotels. Besides golf, the main attractions of the region are the dazzling natural landscapes, the capital Funchal, and the traditional gastronomy.

Book your golf holidays in Madeira with Tee Times Golf Agency and enjoy some of the best golf courses in Portugal.

You can also read other posts about Portugal Golf Holidays:
Study shows how tourists perceive the Algarve
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Madeira saw record tourist numbers in 2022

Spain Golf – Alcanada wins Diamond Award at Tagmarshal Awards

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Alcanada Golf Course. Alcanada wins Diamond Award at Tarmarshal Awards.

Alcanada wins its third Diamond Award

The Alcanada Golf Club, in Mallorca, part of the Balearic Islands, has been honoured for the third time with the Diamond Award at the Tagmarshal Awards.

The award, given to Alcanada at the PGA Show in Orlando, Florida, was a climax to a fantastic 2022 that included the golf course’s hosting of the Rolex Challenge Tour Grand Final last November. The success in the tournament led to its scheduled return to Alcanada later this year.

“The club’s primary focus is on enhancing the playing experience for its members at all times. Although we are well aware of the need of maintaining a steady pace of play for most players and the potential damage it may do if not handled properly, it has never been an issue here”, explains Alcanada Golf Club Director Kristoff Both.

“With the help of the Tagmarshal system, we’ve been able to improve our approach and anticipate any issues on the golf course, so our players can focus on taking in the beautiful scenery and pleasant Mallorcan weather”, added Kristoff Both.

The award recognises the club’s outstanding efforts in areas like the pace of play, player experience, and course optimization, all of which have helped establish it as a top location for golf’s most prestigious tournaments.

In fact, a round of 18 holes at Club de Golf Alcanada is 5 percent faster thanks to Tagmarshal’s revolutionary optimization technology, a significant benefit for a sport that is increasingly challenged by game rhythm issues.

The Tagmarshal Awards were established in 2019 to honour the best of the 500+ golf courses that have partnered with the company. That year, Alcanada took home its first Diamond Award; in 2021 and 2022, it received two more.

By winning a third prize, Alcanada now ranks among the world’s top 30 golf courses, joining such illustrious institutions as Pebble Beach, Ballybunion, Erin Hills, Pinehurst, and Portugal’s West Cliffs.

Book your golf holidays in the Balearic Islands with Tee Times Golf Agency and play on some of the best Spanish golf courses.

You can also read other posts about Golf in Spain:
The 2023 calendar for the Santander Golf Tour has been announced
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Finca Cortesin won at Inspire Action Awards 2022 for promoting women’s golf

Portugal Golf Holidays – Study shows how tourists perceive the Algarve

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Benagil Beach, Algarve. Tourists have a good impression of the Algarve

Tourists and residents shared their opinions about the Algarve

The perception of tourism in the Algarve has been recently updated according to two surveys. Although visitors generally have a quite good view of the region, locals are well aware of the industry’s significance to the area’s economy.

The two reports, dubbed RESTUR (for residents) and TurExperience (for tourists), were produced by the University of the Algarve’s Research Centre for Tourism, Sustainability and Wellbeing (CinTurs) and presented at the regional tourist board’s (RTA) headquarters.

Visitors from Portugal and other countries in the area, such as the United Kingdom, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Germany, and Ireland, were among those who participated in the survey.

In the TurExperience study, researchers aimed to respond to the question, “How do tourists feel and view the Algarve as a destination?”.

“Whilst there have been previous studies on the demographics of the region’s visitors, we hope to draw attention to the fact that the present investigation was conducted all year round”. The coordinator of the study, Manuela Guerreiro, remarked, “We did not limit ourselves to just one month or two”.

To sum up, the results demonstrate that the Algarve is widely regarded as a “reputable and trustworthy destination”, as seen by the high proportion of repeat visitors.

But, visitors’ trust in the region is unrelated to its history and culture, thus this is where the Algarve should concentrate its efforts. “We need to make more of an effort to strengthen our identity” Guerreiro added.

Regional tourist board president, João Fernandes, is thrilled with the study’s positive findings. He said it was reassuring to know that visitors had a generally favourable impression of the region.

Findings from RESTUR were also presented, which supported Fernandes’ claim that locals recognise and appreciate tourism’s contribution to the economy. The vast majority of the 4,026 citizens polled in the Algarve’s 16 municipalities agreed that tourism helps the economy grow and provides new opportunities for people to find work.

Book your golf holidays in the Algarve with Tee Times Golf Agency and explore the amazing golf courses and this stunning tourist destination.

You can also read other posts about Portugal Golf Holidays:
Lisbon’s gastronomy ranks fourth in Europe
Madeira saw record tourist numbers in 2022
Algarve hasn’t had so many tourists in January in 20 years