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View Point
‘Green’ Bucks For Tourism
The Raj made India the first country outside Great Britain
to take up the game of golf. The Regal Calcutta Golf Club was established in
1829 and it was some sixty years later that the first major golf course opened
in the United States in 1888. This is not the only distinctive element of the
sport that India has. The Gulmarg golf course, at an altitude of 10,500 feet
is the world's highest and it took shape in 1891. The other important centres,
which witnessed the creation of golf courses in the latter part of the 19th
century, were Bombay, Madras and Bangalore. Today, there are more than 200 golf
courses dotting the country. But, it was only in 1964 that India became part
of the international golfing circuit with the launch of the Indian Open. India,
however, is yet to qualify as a golfing destination in terms of tourism inspite
of the earnest efforts made by the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) in association
with Air-India since the 70s.
Travel industry experts offer several reasons for this. First is the absence
of golf courses of international standard. Secondly, lack of interest among
the golf clubs to attract foreigners to come and play. And thirdly, the courses
are scattered over long distances in the continental size country, which makes
travel from one course to another, time consuming and expensive.
Fortuitously, thanks to the era of globalisation since the launch of economic
reforms a decade and a half ago, the country has witnessed substantial change,
both in infrastructure and attitudes. A number of new and designer golf courses
have been built in association with such big names as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus
and Greg Norman. The capital, which for years prided itself with the Delhi Golf
Club (venue for the Indian Open), now has within driving distance of an hour
or two, world class courses in Noida (Jaypee Greens), ITC Classic Golf Resort
and DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurgaon. The cluster of golf courses in and
around the capital and many new ones in other parts of the country, well connected
by air and backed by classy hotels, has encouraged the tourism ministry to acclaim,
"today, India is ready to cater to the huge and growing demand of golf
tourism." Golf has emerged as a billion-dollar lucrative segment of the
tourism industry with a close linkage with other segments. It is no wonder that,
like hoteliers and travel agent bodies, there is now also the International
Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) based in London. Its membership of
750 extends to 60 countries including tourism boards and, they host their own
buyer-seller meet annually in December. Christened International Golf Travel
Market (IGTM), its 2005 edition (the 8th in the series) is scheduled for December
5th in Gran Canaria, off the coast of Spain.
Surprisingly, only two Indian tour operators, Vinay Marwah of Uday Tours and
Chit Bakshi, (ex-Air India), who runs a golf outfit, are members of IAGTO and
they have also been participating in the Golf Marts. Marwah informed that specialist
golf tour operators, incentive travel agents, meeting and conference organisers
attend the Mart. Other attendees include leading hotels, resorts, golf courses,
airlines, golf writers and other suppliers of golf related products. Talking
about the potential of golf tourism for India, effective marketing by India
could bring in large numbers. Haryana tourism, he says, has shown some initiative
by publishing a special brochure on the golf courses in Gurgaon and nearby areas.
He is keen to bid for India as an International Golf Travel Market venue in
2010 but for that he will first have to set up an Indian chapter of IAGTO to
play host along with the tourism ministry and the travel industry.
Like other international bodies that assist destinations with their special
needs, IAGTO provides consultancy in various golf related areas. IAGTO chief
executive, Peter Walton writes in a newsletter that after visiting every golf
course in Brazil and many projects under construction, the association gave
a presentation to the country's golf tourism industry with a "step by step
strategy" on how to market the country with a limited product spread around
its enormous land mass. Perhaps India too could benefit from a similar step.
The author is freelance columnist
and can be contacted at rabseth@yahoo.com
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