Golf Tourism and Villa Real Estate in Belek

Golf is a sport traditionally considered elite. It is assumed that only very wealthy people play golf, and this sport is not available to other classes and tourists. At the same time, golf tourism is an advantage of resort regions around the world, positively influencing the development of not only the hotel and entertainment sector, but also the real estate market in Turkey.

The most popular golf destinations combine pleasant climate (warm weather and lack of snow) and developed infrastructure. The industry, which brings in almost $100 billion worldwide a year, is becoming more and more in demand. The leader is South Africa, which also accounts for the majority of queries in search engines. The SAR is followed by European countries - Italy, France and Spain - destinations popular among those who are accustomed to a conservative vacation in golf clubs.

Golf tourism in Turkey

Over the past five years, Turkey has entered the top ten golf tourism leaders, being a destination much less expensive. The golf market in the country has been formed for almost two hundred years (in 1825 the first club was opened in Istanbul). Turkey managed to break the stereotype that golf is a game exclusively for millionaires. Affordable, but at the same time, a superbly developed service in tourism, combined with a fast growing real estate market, have served to ensure that today the country is confidently competing with South Africa and Europe. In addition to international trade, tourism and real estate make the main contribution to the state's economy, and these two areas are closely related.

Turkey is a member of the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO). Antalya is the most preferred region for the sport, bringing in millions of dollars annually. While most clubs in other countries were closed due to the pandemic, Turkey has introduced strict sanitary measures, carefully observing which it continued to receive tourists and golf lovers. The advantage of Antalya, Turkey as a region is the optimal climate that allows you to play at any time of the year (on average, about 30 people play here every day).

Antalya is annually visited by golf lovers from all over the world, including USA. There are 16 of the total 22 golf courses in the country. In the first half of 2022, 280 thousand games were played, which has already exceeded the level for the same period in 2019 (before the pandemic). The Antalya municipality plans to make this year a record one, with 600,000 games (in 2019, 560,000 games were held).

What is the best place to play golf in Turkey?

If we consider golf tourism in Turkey, Belek is the main destination. From a small village in the east of Antalya, in just a few years, Belek has become a world center for tourism and golf tourism, receiving the award "Best Golf Course in Europe" in 2008.

Clients of golf clubs in Belek are not millionaires, but they are quite wealthy people, ready to spend 40% more than the average tourists. Not only Europeans come to Belek, but also residents of Japan, the USA, Pakistan and India.

Courses and clubs differ in golf. Usually clubs differ in the degree of privacy. There are completely private golf clubs with a strict membership system, there are clubs accepting guests on certain days, and there are clubs accepting all guests.

The most famous clubs in Belek are Cornelia, Titanic, National, Antalya, Kaya Palazzo, Carya, Nobilis and Lykia. If it’s not so easy to get into the National (absolutely everything is evaluated - from club cards to the clothes of those who want to play), then, for example, in Titanic, anyone can join the aristocratic sport.

Clubs located on the coastal plains give the opportunity to get acquantainted with the elite game. All golf clubs are created by famous designers: the terrain includes hills, ponds, holes of various types and much more and varies in degree of difficulty, so both beginners and professionals will enjoy the game. Golf resorts are not limited to clubs and training centers: they are usually located on the territory of hotels where there are spas, restaurants and boutiques. Such a holiday is suitable not only for the player, but also for others. Most guests come with the whole family and a group of friends, not all of whom may share the interests of the golfer. Thus, the player can reduce travel expenses.

Golf course real estate in Belek, Turkey

Belek offers a measured, elite lifestyle with “Country clubs”, countryside vacation spots for wealthy guests. An elegant and prestigious holiday is a key characteristic of the region. Belek is not just a great vacation, but also a quiet stay away from the noise of the megapolis. Most the properties is located within 1-2 kilometers from the sea.

The elite real estate market in the region began to form not so long ago, and the reason for this became the opening of golf resorts. The premium residential estate segment goes hand in hand with the luxury lifestyle that golf has become a symbol of. Such real estate has always been villas for sale in Turkey that have all the characteristics of high-class housing.

At first glance, any object can be classified as elite real estate only due to its location and area. Premium housing means not only amenities inside and a set of furniture. Now elite property is defined by the closeness to the nature, the level of comfort and the availability of modern technologies (for example, "smart home" systems). Only the highest quality imported and local  materials are used in construction. The architecture of the house is carefully designed, as well as the interior and the site on which it is located. Internal infrastructure (pool, sauna, gym) can be shared (the price for such objects starts from 200 thousand euros). Exclusive amenities that you do not have to share with your neighbors will cost about 350 thousand euros per property.

Another important criteria is considered to be the location and environmental conditions. It’s difficult to call even a high-rise residential complex with private parking the elite segment if it is located next to the industrial area. With its mild sea climate, golden beaches, emerald Taurus Mountains and clean air Belek has everything for you to lead a healthy lifestyle. Noisy highways and dense buildings are located away from the region. Estate objects are designed in a special way, regardless of the type (hotel, golf club or villa), to maximize harmony with the surroundings: golf, as a sport, is inseparable from the nature - the landscape of the fields should be as close as possible to natural.

Remoteness from the hustle and bustle of the city and, at the same time, well-established infrastructure and transport connection is another factor that determines whether a property belongs to elite housing. The target audience of both villa buyers and golf players are people with above average income who value their money and time. The proximity of Antalya International Airport (only half an hour away) will allow you to save time spent on travel.

The villas are suitable for both holidays and permanent residence. Considering that almost half of golf lovers come in a group of family or friends, villa rentals are becoming more relevant. But you should not hope for a quick payback: villas are long-term investments in Turkish real estate, the amortization of which occurs gradually, but reliably. Thus, the average cost of renting a villa near a golf resort will be about 160 euros per day.

Turkey is a country offering luxury holidays and housing at affordable prices. Thanks to the development of the golf industry, the country plans to take a leading position in the international ranking of destinations. The steadily growing popularity of this sport (global income from golf tourism is over 2 billion US dollars) will bring additional capital to the country, which, accordingly, will positively affect the prestigious real estate market. Realtor Global is your reliable partner in Turkey!