A REPLICA of the Best Golf Destination in the World 2006 award, recently given to the Algarve by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO), was presented to President of the Republic, Jorge Sampaio, by Algarve Golfe, in recognition for his support of the game and its activities in the region.
Algarve Golfe, a golf association for the south of Portugal that represents almost all of the region’s golf courses, made the presentation to officially thank the President for the support he has given to the development of the sport, particularly in the Algarve.
Those present at the ceremony included Hélder Martins and Daniel Queirós, the president and vice-president of the Associação de Turismo do Algarve, André Jordan, chairman of the André Jordan Group which was responsible for the organisation of the Algarve World Cup, and from Algarve Golfe, Sander van Gelder, president of the general assembly, and António Henriques da Silva, president of the board.
This important award, which was also given to the Algarve in 2000, is the fruit of the efforts made by Algarve Golfe over the past 12 years and by the region’s 30 golf courses. Unifying the region’s golf courses, the association has taken on a decisive role concerning the promotion, training, environmental protection, quality and innovation of its associates.
Golf is currently one of the fastest developing sporting activities in the world and an emerging market that Portugal should take advantage of. A record one million rounds of golf were played in the Algarve in 2005 and, with more than 60 million people playing golf throughout the world, the region, along with the rest of the country, should join forces to grasp an important slice of the market. For this reason, Algarve Golfe considers it of prime importance that attractive playing conditions are made available to those practising the sport. It is estimated that around 20,000 Portuguese play golf; the association’s objective is to substantially increase this number.
