Destination Golf Global (Winter 2019) * | Page 10

Travel News TOURISM NORTHERN IRELAND LAUNCHES QUALITY ASSURANCE SCHEME Tourism Northern Ireland, in partnership with the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO), has launched a Golf Quality Assurance Scheme which is designed to certify golf courses in meeting and exceeding customer expectations. Having carried out more than 200 golf tourism audits across golf courses worldwide over the past two decades, IAGTO unveiled its Quality Assurance Scheme at the International Golf Travel Market back in October 2019. EUROPEAN LADIES OPEN COMES TO KENYA The inaugural European Ladies Open takes place this week at the PGA course Baobab Vipingo Ridge near the Kenyan coastal town of Mombasa. 100+ professional ladies golf players from all over the world will gather at Vipingo to fight it out for a price cash of Euro 300,000. This tour and the European Tour for men later in March 2020 at Karen Golf Club. COSTA BRAVA HITS THE GREEN WITH ENVIRONMENTAL FOCUS The Costa Brava is making a concerted effort across the region to find the green more often. PGA Catalunya, one of seven resorts or clubs in the region 100km north of Barcelona, collected the Sustainability Award for Nature Protection 2020 at the IAGTO Awards during the recent IGTM in Morocco. Its work to use recycled water and assist natural habitats and wildlife to thrive, saw the 36-hole resort recognised among its peers. 10 Destination Golf .TRAVEL YOUNG STARS SET FOR 2020 OMEGA DUBAI DESERT CLASSIC European Tour’s best newcomer Robert MacIntyre will be joined by tournament winners Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Guido Migliozzi, Erik Van Rooyen, in addition to Adri Arnaus and Matthias Schwab, at Emirates Golf Club into the 31st edition of the event from 23-26 January. LAGUNA LANG CÔ CONTINUES TO PUSH THE BOUNDARIES Laguna Lang Cô remains one of Vietnam’s leading resorts and a leader in worldwide sustainable tourism by being awarded EarthCheck Gold Certification. Laguna Lang Cô has continued to enhance its reputation as one of Vietnam’s leading resorts and a leader in environment protection, after being awarded a Gold Certification by EarthCheck, a leading scientific and environmental benchmarking, certification and advisory group for the travel and tourism industry. COSTA PALMAS GOLF CLUB DEBUTS ON BAJA PENINSULA’S EAST CAPE Robert Trent Jones II design establishes a new golf destination on Sea of Cortez. Situated on the East Cape 45 minutes from Los Cabos International Airport, Costa Palmas Golf Club, centerpiece of a 1,000-acre resort community on the Sea of Cortez, has opened to acclaim. The links-style layout’s debut comes on the heels of the recently launched Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos at Costa Palmas, a beachfront property with 118 guest rooms and 23 suites.