The International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO), a global trade association of the golf tourism industry, has named Los Cabos, Mexico as the ‘Latin America & Caribbean Golf Destination of the Year’ for 2017 in recognition of its exceptional golf courses and unique geographical setting. The announcement of this benchmark accolade was made at a gala awards dinner at the International Golf Travel Market (IGTM) held this year in the city of Palma, Mallorca.
Situated at the tip of the Baja Peninsula, at the place where the Sea of Cortes meets the Pacific Ocean, Los Cabos boasts an extraordinary mountain-desert-ocean environment where the game’s top designers have crafted some of the world’s finest courses.
Set back from the shoreline’s sun-drenched beaches and sparkling waters are more than a dozen exquisite layouts built by luminaries such as Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Greg Norman, Robert Trent Jones, Jr. and Tiger Woods. With two courses on GOLF Magazine’s “Top 100 Courses in the World” list and seven of the top 11 courses in Mexico based on Golf Digest’s “Planet Golf” report, Los Cabos is the undisputed golf capital of Latin America.
“We are delighted to accept this prestigious award from the world’s leading association of golf travel providers,” said Rodrigo Esponda Cascajares, Managing Director of the Los Cabos Tourism Board. “Dating back to the early 1990s, we have welcomed some of the most spectacular golf facilities in the world. The recent addition of several outstanding newcomers has raised the bar of excellence and taken the Los Cabos golf scene to the next level.” He added that approximately 180,000 rounds of golf played each year in Los Cabos, with visiting golfers generating significant tourism revenues for the destination.
Esteban Toledo, a multiple winner on the PGA Champions Tour, serves as the official golf ambassador for the Los Cabos Tourism Board. “As a touring professional, I’ve been privileged to play all the top courses throughout North America,” said Toledo, a native of Mexicali, Mexico. “For beauty, challenge and variety, the golf courses in Los Cabos are in a class of their own.”
Led by several ‘gran turismo’ 5-star hotels and complemented by some of the best sport fishing and off-course adventures in the world, Los Cabos has in the span of 25 years established itself as a hotspot for avid players in search of an unforgettable golf experience. Only in Los Cabos do rolling, verdant fairways circulate players from rugged desert foothills to the turquoise-blue sea.
Add 340 days of sunshine and cooling sea breezes, and Los Cabos – or Cabo, as everyone calls it – emerges as a flawless getaway unique to itself. As a family-friendly “lifestyle” destination, with activities ranging from whale-watching cruises to desert jeep tours, Cabo has what everyone wants. Great weather. Superb dining. Sumptuous spas. Dawn-to-dusk nightlife. And the friendliest welcome in Mexico.
IAGTO’s tour operators generate more than 85 percent of the world’s golf vacations. Its nearly 600 members, hailing from 61 different countries, selected the 2017 winners. Judges nominated the best golf destinations based on the different experiences of their customers as well as criteria such as customer satisfaction, quality of golf courses and accommodations, price, professional conduct of suppliers, support of the local tourism industry and accessibility of tee times
About Los Cabos
Situated at the tip of the 1,000-mile long Baja Peninsula, Los Cabos is home to award-winning hotels, resorts, championship golf courses, rejuvenating spas and world-class sport fishing. With a unique landscape of dramatic desert and dazzling beaches, Los Cabos is an exotic escape favored by celebrities, couples and families within easy reach of most U.S. and Canadian cities. For more information, images and videos from Los Cabos, visit www.visitloscabos.travel, follow us on Twitter @LOSCABOSTOURISM and visit us on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram.
