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Dubai: Golf Destination Of The Year

20 November 2008

DUBAI – November 20, 2008 – Seven years after being recognized as the ‘Emerging Golf Destination of the Year’, Dubai has further cemented its place on the world golf map, winning the ‘Golf Destination of the Year’ for the Africa, Gulf States & Indian Ocean region. The awards ceremony took place during the International Golf Travel Market (IGTM) – the golf tourism industry’s annual global trade show in Marbella, Spain.

Dubai took home top honours in the newly created category, which included strong contenders from golf destinations such as Egypt, Morocco and South Africa. Dubai, with 8 golf courses currently in its portfolio proved that quality and high service standards carries considerably more weight than quantity for discerning golf tourists, most notably South Africa, which dwarfs Dubai in sheer size with over 80+ golf courses among its current portfolio.

On hand to accept the award at the IAGTO Awards Gala Dinner on Thursday, November 20th was General Manager of Emirates Golf Club Chris May (On Behalf of Dubai Golf).

“We accept this award on behalf of the team members at our own respective golf clubs, but also on behalf of the entire golf and tourism industry of Dubai. We are very fortunate to attract skilled and passionate individuals who wake up every day with the energy and enthusiasm to deliver an experience above and beyond to our guests,” stated Rodney J. Bogg, Managing Director of Dubai Golf from their Dubai headquarters which includes the Emirates Golf Club, Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club and central reservations through their website portal - www.dubaigolf.com.

The annual golf holiday is the highlight of the golfing year for many of the world’s 50 million players. With this in mind, the IAGTO Awards were established in 2000 to reward a few exceptional contributions to this world of golf travel.

IAGTO’s 300+ golf tour operators from 45 different countries casted their votes for these Awards. Operators were asked to consider criteria such as customer satisfaction, quality of the golf courses / accommodation, value for money, professional conduct of suppliers, support for local tourism, and accessibility to tee times.

Dubai is the fastest growing golf destination in the world, with over 15 golf courses planned or in the development stages, and is well known as the home of the Dubai Desert Classic and Dubai Ladies Masters on the European PGA Tour, which is held annually at Emirates Golf Club. In 2009, Dubai will be featured prominently in the European Tour’s new Order of Merit point’s race, the Race to Dubai, which will culminate with the season-ending Dubai World Championship in November of 2009 at Jumeirah Golf Estates. Tiger Woods’ first design, the Tiger Woods Dubai, is also scheduled for completion in the autumn of 2009.

One General Manger of a Dubai area golf course was equally excited to win such a prestigious award, commenting:

“Given the current state of the world economies, the golf travel marketplace just became a whole lot more competitive in recent months,” stated Thomas Rubi, General Manager Hospitality, Leisure & Golf, Dubai Sports City on behalf of The Els Club Dubai.

“Being able to stake claim as the 2009 Golf Destination of the Year for our region is very important as we continually strive to make Dubai the #1 international golf destination for experience, accessibility, selection and value for money,” Rubi continued.

Dubai’s eight world-renowned layouts can be booked online through www.dubaigolf.com or by calling central reservations at 800 TEE TIME (833 8463) or by visiting them directly at: