A report into the region’s golf facilities has concluded that the Algarve should not build more than 41 full size 18-hole courses, at least until the year 2020. According to the opinions of a team of investigators at Faro University, the conclusion springs not from environmental considerations, but from concerns regarding the business sustainability of golf. If applications for course licenses continue to be accepted at the current rate, the report says this would create the conditions for 88 golf courses within 17 years.
This, in the opinion of project investigator Manuel Vitor Martins, could lead to “serious consequences”, such as a drop in overall quality, a growing demand deficit and a fall in prices. The report recommends measured growth from the current number of 29 courses (25 currently functioning and four recently approved) to a maximum of 41 courses. According to the experts, this would ensure that, “the growth in the demand for quality is satisfied, the average level of practical prices could be maintained and the feasibility of the projects assured”.
