Irish Open remains the best shop window for golf tourism

Golf tourism was bringing in €270m annually to the Irish economy in the years before Covid-19

Galgorm Spa and Golf Resort in Co Antrim has replaced Mount Juliet as host venue. File picture: INPHO/Presseye/Russell Pritchard

So much will be different when the 2020 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open finally gets underway on Thursday, from the date and venue to the absence of spectators. Yet in the midst of the biggest crisis in a generation and in this most trying of years, the European Tour’s annual visit to these shores will serve the same very important purpose it always has in providing a window to the world of the island’s golfing treasures.

That may seem superficial but with golf tourism bringing in €270 million annually to the Irish economy in the years before Covid-19, beaming our courses into the living rooms and clubhouses of golfers around the globe remains a priority in the battle to encourage them back to the island of Ireland when it is safe to do so.