A tourism chief has expressed hope that the hosting of the Open in Northern Ireland can spark an investment boon in golf course building in the region.
John McGrillen, the chief executive of Tourism NI, said the revenue generated by golf tourism in Northern Ireland has already grown by 66% to £86 million per annum since Northern Ireland last staged the sporting showpiece in 2019.
But Mr McGrillen, who is stepping down from his post after this week’s tournament, said the rate of future growth is somewhat limited by how many golfers the region’s top seaside links course can accommodate at any one time.
The tourism boss said that the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush Golf Club prompted several US investments in golf-linked tourism in Northern Ireland, even despite the disruptive impact of the pandemic the following year.
Mr McGrillen believes the potential for overseas investment in golf courses is even greater this time round, and he even raised the possibility of a new links course being built on the region’s scenic coastlines.
He said growth of golf tourism was an integral part of Tourism NI’s strategy to increase the value of the local sector to £2 billion a year by 2035, from its current level of £1.1 billion.
“We’re looking to almost double that number over that period of time,” he said.
“And there’s the potential to substantially grow golf tourism in the meantime. I think that one of our key challenges is everybody wants to play the same trophy golf courses, and there are only so many tee times available there.
“So, you know, hopefully we might see some investment in new golfing facilities over the next decade.
“If we could see some investment in maybe upgrading some of our existing links courses or, if ever possible, the development of a new links course, that would certainly help.”
Mr McGrillen said it was also important to point visitors towards the region’s top level parkland and resort courses.
He said examples of golf’s growth close to home showed what could potentially be achieved in Northern Ireland.
“In the Republic of Ireland golf tourism is probably worth 300 million euro, in Scotland it’s worth £1 billion, so there is a market,” he said.
“I think it’s got significant potential going forward if those constraints and those investment opportunities are taken up.”
The 153rd Open at Royal Portrush is set to become the second best attended in history, with almost 280,000 fans having snapped up tickets for the final major of the year.
Almost 1.1 million people applied in the public ticket ballot last year, with 278,000 securing tickets across the practice days and four tournament days.
That is around 41,000 more than attended the Open when Shane Lowry triumphed at Royal Portrush in 2019.
That year marked the first time the Open had been played in Northern Ireland since 1951.
The record attendance at an Open came in 2022 at St Andrews when 290,000 attended the 150th staging of the tournament.
Mr McGrillen believes Northern Ireland has now firmly established itself as a regular fixture on the rota of courses that hosts the Open.
“The reason it is back is because it was a huge success last time around,” he said.
“There’s clearly a huge market and demand for the Open on the island of Ireland. There are going to be 278,000 people here, which is the second biggest open ever, after St Andrews, so I think it will continue to be a regular fixture on the circuit.”
