A case for golf course development

Having a first-class golf course in Malta is not a new idea. Recognising the vast potential of golf tourism, successive governments have, since as far back as 1988, been evaluating the situation. In January of 1988 a firm of golf course architects was requested by the then National Tourism Organisation to study the existing golf course at the Marsa Sports Club to see whether worthwhile improvements could be made at the facility and also to visit and comment on possible sites for further golf course development.

In their report the architects stated that the Marsa golf course had a good deal of tradition and historical charm, clearly doubling as the main hub of Maltese golf and the only available holiday golfing facility. However, they found the course to be short and very congested with a number of holes crossing each other creating danger, inconvenience and delays. Development and growth of this course depended on the acquisition of additional land, clearly an unfeasible situation. (One must bear in mind, however, that this is a 1988 report and a great deal of improvement has since taken place.)

Commenting on possible sites for new golf courses, the report stated that the Verdala site, with the general undulating character of the land and its relationship with the hotel, was very suitable. For a general golf course for Malta the course would certainly be identified with the Verdala Hotel.

The report also commented on current trends in golf. In 1983 Germany witnessed an eight per cent annual increase in its number of golfers, France a six per cent increase and Great Britain a five per cent increase. With this rise in the number of players, especially in northern Europe, touring winter golfers were expected to grow and a considerable expansion in the provision of new golf courses was already underway in Portugal, Spain, Majorca, Morocco and Tunisia.

Following this report there seemed to be a lull in the proceedings until the planning directorate commissioned another UK firm to produce a Subject Study-Golf Course Development in Malta. This was completed in 1993. The study arose from the recommendation in the Structure Plan that a policy study of golf course development be undertaken. This study, coming just five years after the first one, quoted statistics showing that by this time the number of people playing golf in Germany was 160,000, two million in Britain and 100,000 in the Netherlands. In Sweden and other Nordic countries there has been an annual growth of 15 per cent.

The popularity of golf had spawned a strong demand for golf holidays, especially during the northern European winter. In 1993 it was estimated that 150,000 specialist golf holidays were sold in the UK alone. Mostly, the hotels used in golfing packages are four- and five-star.

The study noted that market analyses had indicated there was a strong and growing demand for golf in Malta. Malta's winter climate is ideal, it is price competitive and it is well served by both scheduled and charter airlines. Air Malta's high frequency of scheduled flights to European capitals and regional cities is especially valuable, potentially giving Malta a comparative advantage in the long-weekend market over competing destinations that rely mainly on charter flights and are thus generally restricted to one- or two-week holiday packages.

A major advantage of golf-related tourism is that demand is highest in the winter months when conventional holiday demands are at their lowest. As such, the expenditure would contribute to revenue at a time when costs are relatively fixed. This is particularly important in the Maltese context given the objective of increasing year-round visitor numbers without significantly adding demands in the summer peak when resources are most stretched.

The study said that golf course development was also important for a variety of strategic reasons.

Firstly, although Malta was seeking to develop a distinct tourism product, it made strategic sense to match the attractions of competitor destinations such as Tenerife, Cyprus and Madeira in order to remain competitive in related markets.

Secondly, in the context of the overall objectives of the tourism strategy, golf course development could potentially be "image making" in the widest possible sense and, thus, not only sustain existing initiatives but encourage further high quality development and initiatives in other niche markets.

With the two reports in mind, in August 1997 the government published a policy paper entitled Golf Course Development in Malta. At the same time a notice for registrations of interest in the development of a golf course was issued. The registrations of interest were opened on October 20, 1997 - there were 12 valid applications. The entire process to assess the proposed sites and short list a potential site/s with a view to selecting an appropriate development group was managed by the Golf Course Development Steering Committee.

Some of the "applications" were for the Maghtab landfill site. The committee unanimously agreed that the Maghtab landfill was an ideal site for golf course development for obvious reasons. Nonetheless, it presented numerous problems, the major one being the fact that it was still being used as a dumping ground. Experts confirmed that, as the tip had not been properly controlled and due to the large volume of waste material disposed there over these last 20 years, the continued emission of gases and ground settlement were likely to remain for a number of years.

After lengthy deliberation and visits to the proposed sites, four applications were eventually short-listed. The committee wrote to the four developers giving them a report of the initial screening and asked them whether the development they were proposing could be undertaken in such a way as to conform with current planning criteria and the policy document. These criteria were listed and all the developers replied in the affirmative.

The committee could not reach a unanimous recommendation on the sites due to environmental objections from the Planning Authority representatives. All four developers fulfilled the established criteria save for environmental issues. However, the Hotel Verdala site and the Hotel Ta' Cenc sites were submitted for the government's consideration. The committee noted that both had hotel management expertise and had associated themselves with a foreign organisation that would ensure high standard golf development.

Subsequently, the then Minister of Tourism, under whose jurisdiction the steering committee was set up, wrote to the two developers and asked them to formally make an application to the Planning Authority for the development of a golf course.

The availability of golf courses of international standard within the least possible timeframe has to be unconditionally recognised as one of Malta's tourist and economic priorities. Tourism in every category today is linked to the "golf course age" and this missing link in our infrastructure greatly damages and reduces competitiveness. All successful tourist destinations abundantly provide this well-advertised amenity.