Dubai has been recognised by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) at its annual IAGTO Awards ceremony.

The destination collected the Golf Destination of the Year for Africa, Gulf States & Indian Ocean 2018 title.

The award was chosen by IAGTO members and presented during a ceremony at the Palais Des Festivals Et Des Congrès in Cannes, France.

This acknowledgement of golf as a key tourism driver has seen Dubai establish one of the most advanced golf tourism programmes.

The golfindubai.com website was designed to enhance awareness of the premium golf destination that convenes – for the first time in one place – everything visitors and tour operators need to know about experiencing golf in the city.

Christian Roemer, golf tourism manager of Falcon Golf, said: “Dubai continues to show impressive growth in its stature as a world-leading golf destination and must now be considered amongst the very best provisioned regions globally when it comes to attracting golfing tourists.

“We are delighted to be recognised by the members of IAGTO with this most recent accolade, as we continue to optimize the sport of golf in Dubai by uniting key stakeholders and increasing the worldwide awareness and appreciation of Dubai.”

The destination has seen a number of golf’s most celebrated professionals choose the emirate as a permanent base. Among this are Ryder Cup stars Rory McIlroy, Henrik Stenson and Rafa Cabrera Bello.

With 11 courses, it is home to the LET flagship tournament, the Omega Dubai Ladies Classic; the Omega Dubai Desert Classic, and the dramatic culmination of the European Tour’s famous Race to Dubai, the season-ending DP World Tour Championship.