DG Issue 27 - June 2015 . | Page 11

Award-winning Assoufid Golf Club, recently named ‘Africa’s Best New Golf Course 2014’, has reinforced its growing global reputation by being nominated on the shortlist for The World Golf Awards as ‘Morocco’s Best Golf Course 2015’. The desert-style 18-hole golf course is situated close to the vibrant city of Marrakech –ranked No.1 in TripAdvisor’s ‘2015 Travellers’ Choice, Top 25 Destinations in the World’ – and is set against the backdrop of North Africa’s snowcapped Atlas Mountains. Assoufid Golf Club officially opened for play in October last year and forms part of an exquisite 222-hectare development. Guy Maxwell, Golf Director at Assoufid Golf Club, said: “Marrakech is rapidly emerging as one of the EMEA region’s mustvisit golf destinations and the opening of Assoufid Golf Club continues to attract much interest. To illustrate this, since opening, we have welcomed over 40 representatives from international golf media and received over 50 ‘Excellent’, or ‘5-star’ reviews on Trip Advisor. www.assoufid.com Pousada de Lisboa, the new member of Small Luxury Hotels of The World , open on 1st June 2015. Located in Terreiro do Paço - Praça do Comércio, a historic part of the city of Lisbon, is now born a new lodging in Praça do Comércio. Historic place of unique importance, this was the place where for centuries ships with goods disembarked. Totally destroyed after the 1755 earthquake, it was Marquês de Pombal the one who gave the order to rebuild almost the entire Lisbon. This is one of the most emblematic places of the city and there are several exit points from here that allow you to visit the rest of Lisbon, walk alongside the Tejo or even cross the river bank. If Lisbon was born at the castle, it was from Terreiro do Paço (Palace Square) that it expanded. www.pestana.com/en/hotel/pousada-lisboa The Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority has launched a new golf portal which is designed to strengthen its standing as a top golfing destination. It’s key markets of expansion are Europe, China, India with other markets also targeted. By targeting a full range of travel trade, media and consumer awareness building activities, the TCA Abu Dhabi is backed by industry partners to include Abu Dhabi’s leading golf courses, tour operators, hoteliers and destination promotion agencies. Speaking about the new golf portal, Sameer Taher Bagaber from TCA Abu Dhabi commented: “Our international golfing footprint is also widening and visitors are becoming increasingly sophisticated in how they research and book their stay, so by expanding the availability of golf information and direct booking access via the visitabudhabi.ae website represents a significant regional competitive advantage