The expansion of Inverness Airport has been welcomed by a partnership representing three world-renowned golf courses in the Highlands.
Royal Dornoch Golf Club, The Nairn Golf Club and Castle Stuart, draw thousands of international golfers to the region every year, generating crucial money for the local economy.
And now, Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd have announced that £900,000 will be invested in a new international arrivals hall for the Highlands’ main airport and an extension to its departure lounge to seat an extra 150 passengers.
This comes in time for the launch of new daily direct flights to Amsterdam and Heathrow, which could be crucial in boosting the region’s appeal to international golfers, particularly in the growing Far East market.
Highland Golf Links (HGL), which represents the three courses, aims to improve the numbers of visiting golfers from around the world and recently attended trade shows in the US to promote the area.
The organisation also includes the Royal Golf Hotel, Kingsmills Hotel and Culloden House.
Tracey Milton, sales manager at the Kingsmills Hotel, represented HGL at the China Golf Show in Beijing at the weekend with the Chinese market a key target area.
Fraser Cromarty, chairman of Highland Golf Links, and CEO of The Nairn Golf Club, said: “This is great news for visitors to the Highlands, including the thousands who come here every year to play our wonderful links courses and enjoy the hospitality of our best hotels.
“We congratulate Hial for their ambitious and forward-thinking plans for Inverness Airport which will improve facilities for passengers and encourage more visitors to use this area.
“This adds to the recent news of new year-round flights by British Airways between Inverness and Heathrow and by KLM between Inverness and Amsterdam.
“It makes the Highlands more accessible and better able to cater for visitors from across the world.”
The improved facilities and services for passengers is ideal timing with several major golfing events taking place in the north this year. These include the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart, the men’s Home Internationals amateur competition at Nairn, and the Northern Open in Dornoch.
The new airport terminal building will be open in May.