(ICOT 2012) Setting the Agenda for Special Interest Tourism

PROCEEDINGS OF THE

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TOURISM (ICOT 2012) Setting the Agenda for Special Interest Tourism: Past Present and Future Archanes, Crete, Greece

23-26 May 2012

EDITOR Konstantinos Andriotis

Cyprus University of Technology, Cyprus

[email protected]

©

2012 International Association for Tourism Policy

ISBN 978-9963-9799-1-2 ISSN 1986-4256 Printed in Cyprus

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Procceedings of the International Conference on Tourism (ICOT 2012): SETTING THE AGENDA FOR SPECIAL INTEREST TOURISM: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE Crete,, 23– Archanes, Crete 23– 27 May 2012

CAPITALISING ON GOLF TOURISM AS A MEANS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: UNDERSTANDING THE PERSPECTIVES OF GOLF TOURISTS VASSILIOS ZIAKAS AND NIKOLAOS BOUKAS European University Cyprus, Cyprus

This paper analyzes the perceptions of golf tourists in Cyprus about the character of golf tourism as a means of sustainable development. Given the various controversies regarding how golf tourism development can be managed in destinations with limited resources, the paper investigates the perceptions of golf tourists regarding the actual potential of golf as a means for sustainable development. The study based on quantitative techniques found out that Cyprus is a strong destination for golf tourism development. Yet, even if golf tourists consider that sustainable designs of golf courses are important, they pay less attention to measures that would alter their overall experience. Moreover, the satisfied golf tourists of Cyprus tend to have negative perceptions regarding sustainable golf tourism development. In this respect, communication and promotional messages aimed to direct the behavior of golf tourists towards the importance of adhering to sustainable practices are crucial. Finally, the development of sustainable policies should be based on encouraging the involvement of different stakeholders by fully appreciating their perceptions about golf tourism.

1. Introduction With almost 60 million golfers and 32,000 golf courses in 140 countries around the globe, golf constitutes an important tourism activity (Hudson and Hudson, 2010; Readman, 2003). Golf tourists are generally a desired segment for a destination because they spend more on their vacations in comparison with leisure tourists, are repeat visitors, and normally come from higher-spending groups (Correira et al., 2007; Tassiopoulos and Haydam, 2008). These characteristics make golf tourism an up-market sophisticated tourist product, which focuses on quality while it can enhance the image of a destination (Markwick, 2000). Therefore, governments and regional authorities around the globe incorporate golf into their plans as a main form of tourism development. 582

CAPITALISING ON GOLF TOURISM AS A MEANS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: UNDERSTANDING THE PERSPECTIVES OF GOLF TOURISTS

Since the late 1980s, up-market tourist and residential golf resorts have been spreading in the environmentally sensitive and already stressed coastal Mediterranean Europe seeking to upgrade the tourism product of these countries, curb seasonality, solve fiscal deficit problems and counterbalance the decline of agriculture (Barke and Towner, 2004; Barros et al., 2010; Briassoulis, 2007; Ioannides and Holcomb, 2003; Markwick, 2000; Papatheodorou, 2004). Following this trend, the tourism policy in Cyprus has capitalized on golf tourism as an alternative form of development in order to counterbalance the dominant mass tourism model (that used to exist on the island since 1960s) but during the last decade is not viable anymore (Archontides, 2007). Though, it is well argued in the literature that the growth of golf tourism engenders considerable risks to the sustainable development of destinations, and hence, raises serious controversies in local communities between proponents of golf’s beneficial effects on tourism and economy and opponents who call attention to the adverse environmental, economic and socio-cultural consequences of golf (Boukas, et al. 2012; Briassoulis, 2007, 2010, 2011; Davis and Morais, 2004; Neo, 2010; Palmer, 2004; Perkins et al., 2010; Wheeler and Nauright, 2006). In the case of Cyprus, this is evident as problems regarding resource deficiencies have been noted in the past with the two dominant being the lack of water and space. This poses serious questions about how sustainable is golf tourism for Cyprus and how certain sustainable techniques applied to golf tourism development can alter the overall experience of golf tourists. In this regard, it is essential to examine the perceptions and attitudes of golf tourists -the key stakeholders in golf activitiesthat could guide a changing perceptual mindset for enabling the adoption of sustainable management practices in golf tourism. As such, the aim of the paper is to analyze the perceptions of golf tourists in Cyprus in relation to golf tourism as a means of sustainable development.

2. The Importance of Golf Tourism and its Status in Cyprus Golf becomes more and more popular as a unique tourist activity. Golf tourism is a form of sport tourism with great size and significance. Tassiopoulos and Haydan (2008) argue that golf tourism constitutes the largest market concerning sports, while Markwick (2000) argues that in 2000, €14.5 million were spent by golfers. Since then there has been a steady increase in golf tourist flows and spending. According to Rees (2008), the 5 to 10 per cent of approximately 59 million golfers travel overseas annually to participate in golf activities. In this respect, the international scale of the golf tourism market is between 2.9 and 5.9 million, making golf tourism as one of the most important markets within the tourism industry. The definition of golf tourism is quite simple. Readman (2003) argues that it includes travelers to destinations in order to partake in golf activities for noncommercial purposes. Additionally, it also includes professionals as well as their 583


fans. In this regard, golf tourism is a significant activity that generates significant income to the host economy. Hudson and Hudson (2010) suggest that there is a golf economy, which includes the core products and the enabled industries. The core products of golf economy include the facility operation needed for golf, the capital investment for golf courses, the golf supplies, and finally, the media tournaments, associations and charities. On the other hand, the enabled industries by golf are related to the hospitality sector and its operations, tourism, and real estate. In this respect, golf is not only a sport activity but an important medium for economic development on an area. Even though any typology can lead to generalizations, the characteristics of golf tourists can be heuristically used to create the golf tourist profile. In this respect, golf tourists spend more on their vacations in comparison with leisure travelers and generally are of higher-spending social groups (Hudson and Hudson, 2010). As Henessey et al. (2008) suggest, golf tourists can be categorized into three types of groups: infrequent, moderate, and dedicated. Dedicated golf tourists are usually elderly people, enthusiastic players characterized by higher income, less price sensitiveness, and higher spending than the other two categories. This group of golf tourists can generate serious growth in an area’s tourism (Henessey et al., 2008). Correira et al. (2007) in their description of golf tourists in Algarve, Portugal conclude that golf tourists in the destination are older males and repeat visitors that visit to participate in golf activities mostly because of the desirable weather conditions and the quality of the courses. This travel profile represents an ideal type of tourist for Cypriot tourism. As such, Cyprus, after almost 12 years of negative paces in terms of tourist arrivals and revenues, strives to capitalize on alternative forms of tourism development, among them golf tourism. In this regard, golf tourism in Cyprus is not a new phenomenon. In fact, the first traces of developing golf tourism on the island goes back in 1993 when the Council of Ministers of the time established a policy of golf courses development as well as the foundation of 750 bed-spaces (Archontides, 2007). Yet, due to the lack of interest, this plan was not implemented, and only in 2005 this policy was updated in order for the existing tourism product to be updated and included also the construction of golf courses. Today, five golf courses are operating and 11 more have been awarded a license to be built on the island (Archontides, 2007). Yet, many debates have been raised regarding how sustainable is the development of a sport like golf on a territory where the main resources for its existence are limited (Boukas et al., 2012). Moreover, queries are put forward about the experience of golfers and their opinion about how sustainable practices can alter their travel behavior and repeat visitation to the island for playing golf. In this respect, the present study seeks to shed light on these questions.

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3. Methodological Approach For this study a quantitative approach was applied for examining the perceptions of golf tourists in Cyprus concerning golf tourism as a medium of sustainable development. The survey used self-completed questionnaires and included close-ended questions. The questionnaires were submitted to three out of the overall five golf courses in Cyprus in the areas of Limassol and Paphos, and during the peak golf period, on October 2011. The sample of the study included all those golfers that visited the specific courses to play golf during the aforementioned period. Due to the nature of the study that sought to measure perceptions of visitors regarding golf tourism, the most appropriate sampling technique was judged to be convenience sampling. Overall, 130 questionnaires were submitted. The questionnaire was submitted after the completion of the golf round at the exit point of the golf course. From all the questionnaires, the 103 were usable and proceeded to the stage of analysis. For analyzing the questionnaires, non-parametric tests were applied as there was no trace of normal distribution among the responses. Specifically, chi-square tests were used at the level of p=0.05 for examining significant differences between the observed and expected values. Moreover, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests were applied for deriving associations between the perceptions and the overall satisfaction levels of the sample.

4. Results Most respondents of the survey were males (86%) and belonged to the age group of 61 years old and above (38%). The majority were from U.K. (52%), followed by Germans (13%) and Russians (10%). Concerning their education, most of them possessed a high school diploma (45%), with those with bachelor degree (30%) following. In terms of income levels, there was a wide distribution of the respondents, with the highest concentration on people with annual income of €60,000 and above (40%). Lastly, most participants were full-time employees (63%), followed by pensioners (33%). Regarding the travel characteristics of the respondents, the majority had visited another golf course the last three years (87%), while most of them had visited Cyprus for golf again in the past (71%). A significant percentage (78%) arranged their visit to the golf course independently, while for the 22% the visit was part of an organized trip. As far as the travel party is concerned, most respondents stated that they visited Cyprus for playing golf with their family (32%), followed by those arrived as a couple (27%). Most of the respondents arranged the visit to the golf course (71%). A significant percentage (15%) indicated other way/s of arrangement (i.e., residential tourists). Regarding the type of accommodation, the majority indicated that they stayed in an accommodation outside the golf course (35%), while many of them stayed in their own residence either inside the golf course 585


premises (29%) or outside them (30%). The top reason for choosing to visit golf courses in the respondents’ travel is to play golf (81%). The 30% of them learned about golf course activities in Cyprus by their friends/relatives, many used the internet (21%) as a source of information, while many had a previous knowledge (21%) about golf on the island. Finally, the top reasons they chose Cyprus for playing golf was because of the weather (27%), the natural scenery (12%) and the friendly environment and/or hospitality (10%). The most important reason for visiting Cyprus to play golf is because of the weather (4.85) (1=Unimportant and 5=Very important). The natural beauty and the friendly environment (hospitality) of the island are ranked in the second (4.36) and third place (3.92) respectively. The unique/memorable experience (3.63) and to accompany friends (3.62) follow. The rest of reasons have lower mean scores (below 3.50) and are considered as less important. Regarding the perceptions of golf visitors about the attributes that determine golf, the statement for which the respondents indicated the highest score in terms of agreement was ‘playing golf brings me together with friends’ (4.49, p=0.00*), followed by ‘playing golf is one of the best forms of relaxation’ (4.38, p=0.00*), golf tourism contributes to the social well-being of a destination; (4.23, p=0.00*), ‘golf is good for the environment’ (3.98, p=0.01*), ‘ecological friendly design of golf courses is important to me’ (3.72, p=0.01*), ‘playing golf in a course that doesn't have grass (e.g., ground) is fine for me’ (2.12, p=0.00*), and ‘playing golf in a course with artificial grass is fine for me’ (1.97, p=0.00*). Finally, regarding the perceptions of golf visitors about the attributes that determine golf and overall satisfaction from Cyprus as a golf destination, Kruskal-Wallis tests derived two types of associations. The first association was found between the statement ‘playing golf in a course that doesn’t have grass (e.g., ground) is fine for me’ and ‘overall satisfaction’ (X2=8.75, p=0.01*). In order to find out where exactly this association was among the categories, MannWhitney U test was applied and derived one pair (Z=-2.59, p=0.01*); those who strongly disagree with the statement (Mean Rank=33.24) and those who disagreed with it (Mean Rank=33.24). The second association was found between the statement ‘playing golf in a course with artificial grass is fine for me’ and ‘overall satisfaction’ (X2=8.92, p=0.01*). In this case, Mann-Whitney U test derived again one pair (Z=-2.27, p=0.02*); those who strongly disagreed with the statement (Mean Rank=34.40) and those who disagreed with it (Mean Rank=42.89).

5. Implications and Concluding Remarks The findings of this study shed light on the relationship between the perceptions of golf tourists in Cyprus and their overall satisfaction from golf activities on the island. This reveals certain attributes of the golf tourist product 586


that are sought and valued by the golf tourists and contribute to the shaping and meaning of their golf holiday experience. Specifically, the environmental features of Cyprus are strong enough to attract golf tourists to the island. Therefore, Cyprus has the potential to become an important golf tourist destination, especially during the winter months when playing golf in Northern European countries is constrained due to the cold weather conditions. This way, the seasonality problem of the island can be eased while a desirable clientele is satisfied. However, regarding sustainable practices and golf tourism development, the respondents present a contradiction: whilst golf tourists consider that ecologicalfriendly design of golf courses is important, they pay less attention to measures that would alter their overall experience. In other words, golf tourists on the island do appreciate the delicate matter between golf versus sustainable development but overall their travel experience is considered more important than their ecological sensitiveness. Additionally, there is a conflict on golf tourists’ perceptions that lies between their concern for using environmental practices in golf courses and their reluctance to play golf in courses with artificial grass or no grass. This highlights even more the previous point. Two important implications are drawn from this study for the case of Cyprus. Firstly, golf tourists that indicated greater levels of satisfaction from Cyprus as a golf destination, tend to have negative perceptions when playing golf in a course that does not have grass (e.g., ground). Secondly, golf tourists that indicated greater levels of satisfaction from Cyprus as a golf destination, tend to have negative perceptions when playing golf in a course with artificial grass. Both statements indicate the negativity of golf tourists that stayed overall satisfied from Cyprus, for sustainable techniques in order for the resources of the destination not to be altered. In other words, Cyprus satisfies those golf tourists who are negative on the corrective measures regarding alternative techniques and plans in golf tourism design. This conclusion creates a conflict regarding the level where golf tourism development on the island is appropriate, and needs to be considered by tourism officials. To conclude, golf is an important sport activity that has the potential to be developed and managed in a sustainable manner. Yet, the complexity concerns how balanced sustainable techniques can be communicated in such a way so that the experience of golf tourists is not perceived that will be altered. Therefore, communication and promotional messages aimed to direct the behavior of golf tourists towards the importance of adhering to sustainable practices are crucial. This endeavor needs to be planned strategically and communicated to every stakeholder that provides golf tourist experiences. That means that both macroand micro-level stakeholders need to be trained and informed about the importance of sustainable tourism development for the future of the destination. Additionally, the development of sustainable policies should be based on encouraging the involvement of different stakeholders by fully appreciating their perceptions about golf tourism. Future research therefore needs to be contacted 587


in order all the key-players in golf tourism production and delivery to be fully explored, understood and appreciated.

6. References 1. 2.

3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

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