The IAGTO Awards are the official annual awards for the golf tourism industry. The 2009 gala Awards evening took place on Thursday 20th November 2008 at the Estepona Congress and Exhibition Centre, Spain on the last day of the International Golf Travel Market.

IAGTO is the global trade organisation for the golf tourism industry, comprising more than 1130 companies in 74 countries, including over 330 specialist golf tour operators in 46 countries. IAGTO's Chief Executive, Peter Walton, said "The annual golf holiday is the highlight of the golfing year for many of the world's 50 million players, and the IAGTO Awards serve to reward a few exceptional contributions to this world of golf travel. There is certainly no shortage of candidates worthy of recognition. Many individuals, companies, organisations and destinations have excelled in delivering a great golfing experience to the golf traveller — the ultimate goal for all involved in golf tourism.

"The Awards serve also to encourage private and public sector organisations to work closely together in the development and promotion of new and existing golf destinations, making them accessible to and enjoyable by the widest range of golfers. Each year we recognise the performance of three of the world's leading Golf Resorts, the flagships of our industry, together with one outstanding golf destination in each of the following five regions:

Asia & Australasia
Africa, the Indian Ocean & the Gulf States
Latin America & the Caribbean
North America
Europe

There is also an award for the Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year, voted for by members of the International Association of Golf Travel Writers, with over 100 member journalists from 27 countries. The ceremony culminates in the presentation of our Honorary Award in tribute to the achievements of one extraordinary individual."

The winners of the 2009 IAGTO Awards were:

Golf Resort of the Year — Europe: Le Meridien Dona Filipa & San Lorenzo Golf Course, Portugal
Golf Resort of the Year — North America: Doral Golf Resort & Spa, Miami, Florida
Golf Resort of the Year — Rest of the World: Half Moon, Jamaica
Undiscovered Golf Destination of the Year: Kenya
Golf Destination of the Year — Africa, the Indian Ocean & the Gulf States: Dubai
Golf Destination of the Year — Asia & Australasia: New Zealand
Golf Destination of the Year — Europe: Andalucia, Spain
Golf Destination of the Year — Latin America & the Caribbean: Dominican Republic
Golf Destination of the Year — North America: South Carolina
IAGTO Honorary Award: José María Olazábal

Quotes from Award Winners:
Established Golf Destination of the Year, Latin America & Caribbean — Dominican Republic
Francisco Javier Garcia, Minister of Tourism, Dominican Republic said: "It is very important to receive this award. This constitutes a real consolidation of the development of golf in the Dominican Republic. At the moment we are developing courses of exceptional quality in the Dominican Republic. The new projects represent higher investment in 2009 than for the past four years. We will certainly use this award to continue working not only to be the number one golf destination for Latin America and the Caribbean, but to be the number one golf destination in the world. This will motivate us to try to be number one in the world."

Photos Courtesy of The Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism

Read unbiased opinions about Dominican Republic activities at TripAdvisor.

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