Scottish Golf Tourism Week heads to Aberdeen after successful debut in Inverness

The prestigious Scottish Golf Tourism Week is to be held in Aberdeen next year for the first time, organisers have confirmed.

It follows a highly successful Inverness debut for the event this week.

Scotland’s biggest golf industry conference gives Scottish suppliers an unrivalled opportunity to meet with tour operators from around the world.

Event helps attract golf visitors

First held in 2016, the event took place annually until 2019 before being cancelled due to the pandemic. It returned in 2022 at St Andrews.

As well as championing golf-related businesses, Scottish Golf Tourism Week shines the spotlight on its host venue as a key golf tourism destination.

It is estimated tour operators in attendance bring approximately 50,000 golf tourists into Scotland each year.

In addition, suppliers who attend forecast an average increase in turnover of over £215,000 across the following three years as a result of new connections at the event.

The three-day event in Inverness, held in association with Luxe Scot, was created with VisitScotland in partnership with the Press and Journal.

It is expected to be worth £3 million to the Highlands economy.

But it will also bring longer-term benefits from future and repeat golf tourism visits.

Craig Walker, editor of the Press and Journal, said: “Scottish Golf Tourism Week has been a great success in the Highlands with hopes of a tourism boom as a result.

“We’re delighted to welcome the event to another part of The Press and Journal patch in 2025.”

Dates and venue for the 2025 event will be announced at a later date.

Tour operators predict tourism boom

This week tour operators from 30 countries attended the event in the Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness.

They predicted a tourism boom due to the Highlands’ abundance of championship and ‘hidden gem’ courses as well as its tourist attractions, green space and warm welcome.

The week was rounded off with the Scottish Golf Tourism Awards, held at the National Trust for Scotland’s five-star Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre.

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