• The President of IAGTO, Peter Walton, announces in Malaga that the capital of the Costa Blanca will welcome nearly a thousand industry agents in 2027, with an expected direct impact of €1.5 million in just one week.

• Poquet states that "this is great news for the city because it places us on the international sports tourism map and strengthens the destination's positioning."

Alicante, May 19, 2026. Golf tourism has chosen Alicante to host its next annual convention, a move that will generate a business volume of up to 45 million euros over the next three years, according to the organization's estimates. The President of the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO), Peter Walton, announced during this year's convention in Malaga that Alicante will be the host city in 2027 for the annual event of the most important association in the tourism industry specialized in golf.

The Councilor for Tourism, Ana Poquet, stated that hosting this meeting "is great news for the city because it places us on the international sports tourism map and strengthens Alicante's positioning as a destination."

Poquet attended the Malaga event alongside the Regional Minister of Tourism, Marian Cano; the Director of the Costa Blanca Tourist Board, Jose Mancebo; and the President and General Secretary of the Association of Golf Courses of the Costa Blanca and the Valencian Community, Salvador Lucas and Angel Llopes—the entity that drove the achievement of this major milestone for the destination.

The event will take place in Alicante from May 17 to 19, 2027, bringing together around a thousand delegates, including international tour operators, specialized agents, tourist destinations, golf courses, hotel chains, and premium tourism sector companies. Consequently, a direct economic impact of 1.5 million euros is estimated during the week of the event, alongside a cumulative impact on the destination of between 30 and 45 million euros over the following three years, derived from commercial activity, international promotion, and associated tourism business.

The program will feature a golf tournament for around 320 players distributed across several courses. In terms of accommodation, the event will generate approximately 2,320 hotel room nights, providing a significant boost to the local tourism sector and economy.

The Association of Golf Courses of the Costa Blanca highlighted that "designating Alicante as the host for this event consolidates the destination's positioning in the international golf tourism market, reinforces its organizational capacity, and evidences the strength of institutional collaboration between administrations and the sector's association to attract major events with high economic and reputational impact."

They also noted that the golf segment contributes to deseasonalizing tourism and generates immense wealth across the territory, with an annual economic impact of €918 million, more than 10,000 jobs per year, and 510,000 annual overnight stays in hotels across the Valencian Community.