October 8th 2015, Tenerife, Spain: The 16th annual IAGTO Awards took place at Tenerife’s Siam Park, at a gala dinner attended by 1,400 golf tourism industry peers on the final night of the International Golf Travel Market. 10 years on from his remarkable US Open Championship victory, Michael Campbell was given a standing ovation as he received the golf tourism industry's Honorary Award last night on the final day of the International Golf Travel Market.
IAGTO Chief Executive Peter Walton said: “Only a handful of golf courses, golf resorts and golf destinations receive an IAGTO Award each year, which makes this such a special event and a great achievement for each of the recipients. The awards are respected throughout the industry not only because they have been going 16 years, but because they reflect the experiences of the 1.8 million people who IAGTO operators carry on golf holidays each year.”
(L-R) Giles Greenwood, Golf Tourism Development Director, IAGTO; Peter Walton, CEO, IAGTO; IAGTO Honorary Award recipient, Michael Campbell and Carlton Carugati, General Manager, IAGTO |
The 2016 Honorary Award recipient, 2005 US Open winner, New Zealand’s, Michael Campbell, flew in from Spain’s Costa del Sol, where he oversees the Michael Campbell Golf Resort at Villa Padierna Golf Resort.
“I'm truly humbled and full of gratitude to receive this award,” he said. “To be mentioned in the same sentence as the previous winners of this prestigious award – among them such golfing greats as Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and the much-lamented Seve Ballesteros – is a great honour.”
The 2016 IAGTO Sustainability Awards, which are run in conjunction with GEO (Golf Environment Organization), were also announced at the gala dinner.
2016 IAGTO Awards Winners
Golf Destination of the Year – North America:
Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
Golf Destination of the Year – Latin America & Caribbean:
Dominican Republic
Golf Destination of the Year – Africa & Gulf States:
Mauritius
Golf Destination of the Year – Europe:
Lisboa Golf Coast, Portugal
Golf Destination of the Year – Asia & Australasia:
Vietnam
Golf Resort of the Year – Europe:
Royal Obidos Spa & Golf Resort, Portugal
Golf Resort of the Year – North America:
Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Florida
Golf Resort of the Year – Rest of the World:
Banyan The Resort Hua Hin, Thailand
Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year:
Tasmania
IAGTO Honorary Award:
Michael Campbell
2016 IAGTO Sustainability Awards Winners
Sustainable Golf Course of the Year – Europe, Middle East & Africa:
La Galiana Campo de Golf, Spain
Sustainable Golf Course of the Year – Americas:
PGA National Resort & Spa, Florida
Sustainable Golf Course of the Year – Asia:
Mission Hills Haikou, China