Desert swing is just the thing

Unquestionably the highlight of the golf season for the GCC countries is the beginning of the three-leg "Desert Swing" today in Abu Dhabi, which sees the European Tour move on from the southern hemisphere and into the Middle East.

It marks the start of a crucial period for local clubs and tourism in general, as the world of golf focuses on Abu Dhabi, Qatar and then on to Dubai for the 21st running of the Dubai Desert Classic.

All three events are now well-established tournaments in their own right, they have all received great acclaim from the industry's media, Tour players, commentators and tour officials.

Although not renowned as highly populated golfer environments, official numbers of spectators have shown encouraging growth year-on-year and it is clear to see that the popularity of these events among historically "non-golfing nations" has also increased.

So why hold a tour event in the first place? What value does an event like the Dubai Desert Classic bring to the club or the area? These are questions I have been asked by local developers a number of times over the past few years and, to be fair, they're pretty good questions.

If you look at the early days of the Desert Classic for example, it would be difficult to argue that it was staged in isolation for purely commercial gain. This event was very clearly put on not just to position Dubai as an upcoming golf destination, but also to promote the city as a tourism and commercial hub for the Middle East.

Most tour events have similar motives – they are used as tools to promote the area/region for a greater purpose, even though in most cases they will nearly all lose money in the early years.

The local tourism authorities in all of the GCC tour events have been instrumental supporters in the establishment of these events.

At the end of the day golf is a widely viewed global sport and without television coverage the European Tour or any other major tour would not be anywhere near the institutions that they have developed into.

It is difficult to measure the true impact they have on the wider economy, but it has been clear to see that for Dubai, tourism has been increasing at extremely healthy rates over the past 20 years, which means good news for airlines, hotels and shopping malls. The Desert Classic has not been the only driver for Dubai tourism, but it is fair to say that it has been a massive contributing factor and placed Dubai firmly on the world golfing map.

The Desert Swing has arrived at a perfect time for the UAE. As economies globally fight recession, the local clubs, hotels, airlines and malls will be keeping their fingers crossed that these events will give a much needed boost to reported claims of a flailing tourism sector.