Discover Puerto Rico says island’s golf courses reporting growth
Destination Marketing Organization Discover Puerto Rico announced that local golf courses and resorts have reported “substantial growth in rounds and revenue” during the first four months of 2019, versus the same period in 2018.
Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Golf & Beach Resort’s country club — which includes two Troon-managed courses — reported a 128% revenue increase January-May, with rounds played rising 56% for the period, the DMO said.
“Club membership has grown at an incredible pace this year, and golf rounds are doing extremely well,” said TPC Dorado Beach Director of Golf Jeff Willenberg, who oversees a 36-hole golf operation with membership and public play.
The increases align with Discover Puerto Rico’s tourism statistics, which included $373.6 million in occupancy spending between January and April 2019 — the highest in the past eight years, and an increase of 12.4%.
The island’s rapid lodging spend growth was driven by a rise in bookings of vacation rental properties, accounting for 23% of the notable jump. This is underscored by strong passenger arrivals — a rising number of which are travelers who golf — reaching 1.5 million for the January-April timeframe, the DMO said.
There are 17 public-access golf courses on Puerto Rico, a significant number for the island’s geographical size. They range from luxury resort to municipal, spread across the island — several clustered near San Juan — as well as located inland.
