A strong Bermuda presence at the Ladies European Masters golf competition in England could begin to bear fruit on the Island later in the year, according to the Bermuda Tourism Authority.

The BTA said its bright pink stall at the Buckinghamshire competition next to the tournament leaderboard generated a lot of foot traffic as well as good leads for the Island’s golf product.

“I estimate 80 per cent of the ladies we encountered travelled on a regular basis with a primary mission to play golf,” said Andrew Brooks, the BTA’s director of golf sales and marketing.

“We generated hundreds of new leads and contacts; we’ll now follow up with offers and golf events in Bermuda that will appeal to the women we met at the Masters.”

BTA and Elbow Beach representatives attended the Ladies European Masters competition which attracted 17,500 spectators. The Island also received significant television airtime during four days of Sky Sports coverage.

Later this year in November about 50 ladies are expected to travel to Bermuda for the sixth Women & Golf Trophy providing an predicted economic boost of $165,000 in on-island spending.

Christine Langford, who recruits ladies for the golf event in November, joined Mr Brooks for the Masters competition in Buckinghamshire last month.

“Christine is an asset to our effort to grow seasonal business throughout the year,” said Chief Product & Experiences Development Officer Pat Philip-Fairn.

“The Women & Golf event and more recently February’s Talleton-Bermuda Pairs event — both under Christine’s stewardship — are critical golf tourism events during the winter when our strategy focus is arts, culture and sports.”