IAGTO, founded in 1997, has 2,448 accredited golf tour operators, golf resorts, hotels, golf courses, receptive operators, airlines, tourist boards, accredited media, and business partners in 93 countries, including 720 specialized golf tour operators in 69 countries at its core. IAGTO operators manage over 90% of golf vacation packages sold worldwide, generating over €2.5 billion in revenue per year.
As IAGTO founder and CEO Peter Walton states: “IAGTO strives to provide information and create opportunities that help its members develop their business faster, with less effort, and at a lower cost. In addition to organizing fam trips, press trips, workshops, conventions, and events, our staff worldwide are constantly developing new services for our members to benefit from, and we are proud to be central to the golf tourism industry.”
While the primary goal has always been to develop services and activities that directly benefit the growing membership, IAGTO now has a much broader mandate to maintain and raise standards throughout the industry and to help destinations position themselves, not only to attract more customers, but also to provide the visiting golf traveler with the best possible experience.
In the past two decades, IAGTO has developed golf tourism strategies for more than 35 countries and regions and continuously advises many other countries and regions. IAGTO also conducts golf tourism audits to assess the strengths and weaknesses of golf courses seeking to attract more visitors. IAGTO has also developed a Quality Assured Certification program to qualify and identify golf courses that provide the best possible experience for novice golfers.
IAGTO also organizes three annual conventions that take place worldwide: the North America Golf Tourism Convention (NAC), the Asia Golf Tourism Convention (AGTC), and the European Convention (IEC). These conventions bring buyers and suppliers together in equal numbers to meet and do business on a regional level. In addition to the regular Destination Conventions, IAGTO takes more than 300 operators and media on family and press trips to golf destinations around the world each year.
In 2000, IAGTO founded the International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA) to recognize and support quality journalists from around the world who strengthen the sector through their high-quality coverage of golf destinations in print, online, and television media.
To reward the exceptional achievements of many undiscovered, emerging, and established golf destinations, as well as individual golf resorts, IAGTO celebrates the end of each year with the IAGTO Golf Tourism Awards. The success of the golf travel industry will always depend on the overall popularity of the sport, and that is why IAGTO also presents an honorary award each year. To date, nominees have included Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus, Robert Trent Jones Jr., Nick Faldo, Greg Norman, Annika Sorenstam, Jose Maria Olazabal, Nick Price, Colin Montgomerie, Sam Torrance, Tony Jacklin, Ernie Els, and Costantino Rocca.
IAGTO’s head office is located in London, England, with representatives around the world.
