Golf Industry Playing Through Economic Swings
Lt. Governor Aiona turned his attention Tuesday to the economic impact of golf in Hawai`i, telling industry leaders that the sporting event continues to play a critical role in developing tourism for the state.
Lt. Governor speaks at the Hawai`i Golf Industry Conference as Greg Nichols, general manager of the Ko Olina Golf Club, looks on.
Speaking at a conference of the Hawai‘i Golf Industry in Kaneohe, the Lt. Governor said national TV exposure from professional golf tournaments still provides a major platform for Hawai‘i golf courses and a marketing campaign aimed at luring more “golf couples” to vacation in the state.
For that reason, the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority last year committed $10 million to host the opening of the PGA Tour season in every January through 2010.
These nationally-televised professional golf tournaments have an economic impact of more than $24 million annually, according to the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority.
“The golf industry is clearly a prized economic jewel for our state,” Lt. Governor Aiona told the crowd of 150 people gathered at the Ko‘olau Golf Course. “And we realize the public-relations benefits of marketing the state through televised coverage of golf tournaments.”
The Lt. Governor also noted that the televised coverage benefits the Hawai‘i Convention Bureau’s “Aloha Season,” a campaign designed to attract vacationing couples who golf.
Research shows that the median income of golf visitors is more than $100,000 a year, and their average stay in Hawai‘i is about 12 days. “We agree that by marketing to golf couples, the state could potentially add to those figures,” Lt. Governor Aiona said. “This is about luring golf couples into wanting more from a vacation in Hawai‘i.”
