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Visit Scotland | Alba
Article published 24/01/2022

We'll be promoting Scotland, alongside Scottish Development International (SDI), as the destination of choice for international golf visitors this week at one of the game’s biggest industry events. 

Golf tourism businesses and 15 retail manufacturers will be part of a bespoke "Scotland the Home of Golf" networking space on the show floor at The PGA Merchandise Show at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando from 26 – 28 January 2022.

43,000 golf industry professionals from across the United States will be in attendance in-person for the first time since January 2020, and Scottish businesses will encourage visitors and golf operators to choose Scotland the Home of Golf for 2022 and beyond.

We're investing more than £3 million annually to support a world-class programme of golf events and to market Scotland globally as the Home of Golf. 

The Show represents an opportunity for businesses to re-engage with US customers, face-to-face, as Scotland gears up for a unique summer of golfing history, when five major championships will be contested over five consecutive weeks through July and August. 

The 150th Open Championship in St Andrews will be the centerpiece as the world of golf turns to focus on Fife. The AIG Women’s British Open will break new ground by being the first women’s Major to be played at Muirfield in East Lothian. 

Meanwhile, the Genesis Scottish Open at Renaissance Club and the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open at Dundonald Links will ensure the world’s best players will be heading to East Lothian and Ayrshire. Both unique to Scotland, the tournaments are globally co-sanctioned by their respective bodies, the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour.

And Gleneagles will welcome back Championship golf for the first time since its hugely successful hosting of The 2019 Solheim Cup, with the legends of the Men’s game gathering to compete for the Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex over the King’s Course. 

The PGA Merchandise Show will help Scotland the Home of Golf reach new audiences in the US through potential coverage via USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Fox News, ESPN.com and others. In addition, the Golf Channel will be providing nearly 15 hours of live coverage from the 2022 Show. 

This is a fantastic opportunity – working with Scottish Development International – to support Scottish golf tourism businesses to re-engage with the US market this year. 2022 is going to be an exceptional year for the country as we prepare to host an unheralded summer of major Championship golf, which will only reinforce Scotland’s position as the Home of Golf.

Golf is one of Scotland’s greatest exports, with no other country able to match our history or heritage in the game and, despite the challenges of international travel over the last couple of years, we believe there are plenty of golfing visitors ready to travel to experience golf in Scotland.

Alan Grant, Senior Golf Manager, VisitScotland

As an outdoor sport where it’s easy to socially distance, there’s been a real surge in the numbers taking up golf over the past 18 months. That means new groups of potential customers for many golf apparel and merchandise companies, as well as Scottish golf tourism businesses.

We’re delighted to be working with VisitScotland to provide a networking space for Scottish companies at PGA Show in Orlando – the largest golf show in the world. Scotland is globally renowned as the Home of Golf, so this will be an excellent opportunity for our companies to connect with new customers and partners to help grow their international sales.

Justine Kelly, Head of SDI’s consumer industries team in North America

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