The golf holiday is changing. Increasingly, the golfer is just one member of a travelling group, and the resort’s spa, restaurant, and cultural programme matter just as much as the course. International Golf Travel Market (IGTM) is placing this shift front and centre at its 2026 edition, taking place at the Palais des Festivals, Cannes from 19–22 October.

The numbers tell the story. Approximately 65% of golf travellers now select packages combining golf with luxury resort services, fine dining, and cultural excursions, and multi-day trips averaging five to seven days have become the standard format. Around 50% of curated packages include accommodation, local transportation, and guided tours as standard, a clear signal that the expectation today is for a holiday that works for everyone in the group, not just the player.¹

For partners, children, and friends travelling alongside golfers, the quality of what awaits off the course has become a deciding factor in destination choice. Leading resorts have responded by investing in spa and wellness facilities, gourmet food and beverage programmes, and immersive local experiences. The return on that investment is measurable: longer stays generate 20–30% more ancillary revenue, and over 70% of leisure golf travellers go on to book return trips.¹

"The conversation has fundamentally changed," said Fiona Ashton, Event Manager, IGTM. "When a family or a group of friends is choosing where to go, the golfer in the party is no longer the only voice at the table. The person who wants a world-class spa treatment, the food lover who wants a tasting menu, the culture enthusiast who wants a guided experience, they all have a say. The destinations and resorts that understand this are the ones winning the bookings. IGTM is where those conversations happen at a global scale."

New research underlines just how decisively traveller priorities have shifted. When golfers were asked how important the non-golf elements of a trip, food, culture, wellness, and scenery, are when choosing a golf holiday, 41.8% rated them as very important. Asked which extras would most improve a golf holiday, 83.6% pointed to great local food and fine dining, the single most cited factor by a considerable margin. And when asked whether they would be more likely to visit a destination offering a strong mix of golf and lifestyle experiences rather than just great courses, 78.9% said yes. The message from golfers themselves is unambiguous: the course is the reason for the trip, but it is no longer the whole story.²

Gastronomy has emerged as one of the most powerful draws in premium golf travel. Today's golf resort guest expects a dining experience that would hold its own in any luxury travel context, from the seasonal tasting menus and regional wine programmes at Costa Navarino in Greece and Hotel Finca Cortesin in Andalucia, to the locally rooted culinary concepts at La Hacienda Links Golf Resort on Spain's Costa de la Luz and Quinta da Marinha / Oitavos Dunes on Portugal's Atlantic coast. Cultural immersion follows closely behind, with properties such as Laguna Lăng Cô and Cornelia Hotels Golf & Spa weaving heritage experiences, guided excursions, and artisan encounters into their offering, connecting guests to the places they are visiting well beyond the resort gates.

With global golf travel recording approximately 12 million trips in 2024 and the international segment projected to grow at a rate of 11.6% through 2033, the commercial case for investing in the full guest experience has never been stronger. IGTM 2026 will provide the platform for the destinations and resorts leading this evolution to connect with the buyers shaping demand worldwide. ¹

¹Market Growth Reports

²National Club Golfer

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