A NEW COORDINATOR TO THE GOLF BUREAU: THE PRIORITY IS TO ATTRACT MORE FOREIGN VISITORS
The Brazilian Bureau of Golf Tourism (BBTG), bound to the Brazilian Golf Confederation (CBG) and to Embratur (Brazilian Tourism Board), is mainly aimed at promoting the country as an international destination of that sport and at increasing domestic tourism. The entity, established in 2003 to affirm Brazil as a tourism destination among golf tourists, now has a new general coordinator, Luiz Cingolani, from Bahia. Appointed by Rachid Orra, head of the Brazilian Golf Confederation, and by Marcio Melo, Vice-President of Development of that entity, the main challenge posed to Cingolani is to attract more foreign golf players to Brazil.
Every year, the golf tourism transacts over $ 30 billion all over the world. According to the International Association of Golf Tourism Operators (lAGTO), the golf tourist expends, on average, 50% more than the conventional tourist. “Golf players are the tourists most sought all over the world. Our great challenge will be attracting strong partners in the tourism market, like airlines and large tourism traders who sell the Brazilian destination. We want to raise interest on the golf tourism segment among those companies and, thus, place Brazil as an emerging golf destination in the shelves of travel agencies all over the world,” says Cingolani.
The new coordinator intends to expand the engagement of the Bureau members in actions developed with Embratur, according to the 2009/2010 work plan, besides expanding the domestic golf tourism, holding tournaments valid to the Brazilian Ranking of Golf Tourism, in tourism courses all over the country. The new format is being concluded and should be launched until April.
The entrepreneur Luiz Cingolani, who became part of the golf world in 1984, was director of the Cajazeira Golf Club, in Bahia, and has recently been elected president of the State of Bahia Golf Federation, where he faces the challenge of incorporating the entity to the Brazilian Golf Confederation and getting Bahia closer to the Brazilian golf center. His work in Bahia borne fruits, and built before the state government on the important role that golf plays to the development of quality tourism in the State. Now the state of Bahia has placed golf as an important tourism product and has developed joint actions with the federation to expand golf tourism in the region.
(Information from CBG)