This year’s staging of The Open Championship – one of the four ‘majors’ in the golfing calendar – at Royal Portrush is expected to generate more than £110m for the economy in Northern Ireland.
That was the amount generated the last time The Open was staged at Portrush – in 2019 – and Tourism Northern Ireland has predicted this year’s event will be even more successful, with spend likely to hit as high as £120m.
“Golfers tend to spend about four times more than the average leisure visitor, they are very valuable for the local economy,” Tourism NI head, John McGrillen, told RTÉ.
“People will see the images of Northern Ireland. The Open is not just about the week, it is about how it promotes Northern Ireland both as a tourist destination and a golf destination,” Mr McGrillen added.
He said the 2019 tournament – won by Ireland’s Shane Lowry – resulted in a huge uplift in golf tourism for Northern Ireland and he expects a similar bonus this year. Already, nearly 280,000 tickets have been sold for this year’s event, which is sure to be boosted further by local man Rory McIlroy’s recent Masters win in Augusta.
“We have worked very closely with the R&A to make sure that local businesses have the best opportunity they can get. We have worked to make sure all of the hospitality providers, as far as we can, are using locally sourced food, utilising local businesses to do that.
“We have had ongoing engagement with the council and with the R&A to let businesses understand how they can make the most of the Open.
“Businesses need to reflect on the fact that people are going to spend quite a bit of time on the golf course, but they will be around afterwards,” Mr McGrillen told RTÉ.
