A major international golfing event to be held at Bahrain's newest and most high profile course early next year is set to showcase the popular sport's potential to strengthen the Bahraini tourism industry. While the Kingdom is home to reportedly the oldest golf course in the Gulf – the Awali Club, established in 1938 – a new course at the Royal Golf Club in Riffa designed by Scottish professional Colin Montgomerie is the jewel in its golfing crown. The 18-hole, par 72 Montgomerie Course, opened in January 2009, will next year host the inaugural Volvo Golf Champions tournament. Announced in early August, the tournament will take place on January 27-30. With a total prize money of $2.2 million it is expected to attract some of the sport's biggest names. Sheikh Mohammed bin Essa Al Khalifa, the chairman of Bahrain's Economic Development Board (EDB), expects the contest to become a poster event for Bahrain and its hospitality industry. “Golf has a very strong global presence and we believe it will bring great benefits to Bahrain,” he said. “The Volvo Golf Champions fits well with our other international activities, such as the Bahrain Grand Prix, the first F1 [Formula 1 racing] event in the Middle East, and will once again showcase the Kingdom's attractive business environment for companies looking to access the Gulf region.” Volvo decided to begin its sponsorship of golf in the region with the Bahrain event because of the quality of the venue and the Kingdom's strategic location, said Per Ericsson, the resident of Volvo Event Management-Golf. “The Royal Golf Club's facilities are second to none and invaluably, the EDB and The Royal Golf Club showed great passion and vision to host this world class tournament,” he said. “Finally, Bahrain is located in between our biggest market, Europe, and our fastest growing market, Asia, making it the ideal location to host our international clients.” Mark Hooker, the club's director of agronomy in charge of green areas, feels that plans for the four-day event to become an annual curtain-raiser for the European Tour could see it become an invaluable promotion vehicle for Bahrain as a destination. “This is a great opportunity at many levels,” Hooker said in an interview with the Gulf Weekly in mid-October. “Eventually having the first major European Tour event on the calendar year fits very nicely with the F1 Grand Prix. It showcases Bahrain as a leading country for international events and will hopefully impact the tourism market in a positive way.” While Bahrain is sure to share the limelight from such sporting events, it will have to contend with neighboring countries which have established courses and regularly play host to high-profile, professional tournaments. Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Qatar all have world-class courses, with each scheduled to stage international events over the next few months. A major aim of hosting large tournaments is attracting golf tourists from the lucrative European, Asian and North American markets. Bahrain will need to create its own brand in these markets and establish itself as a golfing destination. In this respect, the forthcoming European Tour event is an important first milestone. By offering quality golfing facilities Bahrain can encourage tourists to stay a day or two longer, boosting revenue across the tourism stream. The sport can also assist other segments of the sector, such as the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) trade, an area that Bahrain has worked hard to cultivate. Meanwhile, events such as the Volvo-sponsored tournament are also televised worldwide, giving Bahrain and its tourism industry invaluable international exposure.
