City boys tee up a new office in Ireland

TRAVEL AGENTS:ONE OF the fastest growing internet travel companies in the UK is to set up its first overseas office in Dublin.

Yourgolftravel.com, based in London, was founded by two former City employees five years ago and now turns over £35 million (€40 million) a year organising golf tours abroad for travellers. The company’s founders, Ross Marshall and Andrew Harding, now hope to set up an Irish office in October, believing that Ireland is well priced to benefit from further golf tourism.

Mr Marshall said: “We’ve been concerned about consumer sentiment for the last three years. If you want to talk about ash clouds, strikes, terrible weather, failing airlines and travel companies, these are things we’ve had to overcome. Do I find it daunting? Not really. I believe we’ve got the right products at the right price point for the Irish market.”

Yourgolftravel.com has 600,000 golfers on its database and estimates that it caters for 200,000 golf travellers every year. Some high-end clients look for tailor-made excursions, but the majority of its passengers are looking for a value holiday.

Tourism Ireland has been keen to market Ireland’s status as a premier golf destination and has had a “value golf” campaign going for the last year stressing that green fees have decreased considerably in Ireland since the start of the recession. In particular, it has targeted the British, American and the Indian market where there is a growing middle-class that play the game.

Last year’s US Open winner Graeme McDowell is due to attend a Tourism Ireland golf show in Orlando next week to promote Irish golf tourism.

It is hoped that the 2011 Solheim Cup, which takes place in Killeen Castle in Co Meath, will boost golfing numbers.