- The 2024 tournament delivered £19.2m of net economic impact and supported 234 jobs
- The 2025 Genesis Scottish Open returns to Renaissance Club in East Lothian this week, with a continued focus on environmental and social impact
A new analysis by MKA Economics has found that the Genesis Scottish Open, a Rolex Series tournament that is co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR, delivered a net economic impact of £19.2million to the Scottish economy in 2024, supporting 234 jobs.
A total of 76,024 spectators attended the tournament over the four tournament days in 2024. Of the total £19.2million figure, visitors to the area provided £10.8million of net economic benefit to the Scottish economy.
The tournament takes place at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick and the net economic benefit to the local East Lothian economy alone was £7.8million in 2024, supporting 97 jobs. That is a 32% increase on the comparable economic impact assessment completed for the same event in 2019.
The Genesis Scottish Open counts on both the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai Rankings and the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup, and boasts Genesis, the luxury automotive brand from South Korea, as title partner. The event benefits from the continued commitment of the Scottish Government and VisitScotland and for 2025 retains its place in golf’s global calendar the week ahead of The Open.
The economic impact study, commissioned by the DP World Tour, was completed by Stirling based MKA Economics who are a leading socio-economic impact consultancy who specialise in assessing the socio-economic impact of a range of Investments, including events.
As well as its economic impact, the Genesis Scottish Open also delivers a range of environmental and educational programmes that benefit local communities. The 2025 edition of the tournament will see several such initiatives taking place as part of the DP World Tour’s Golf for Good initiative. On the education front, the Golf Futures programme, which showcases the benefits of watching, playing and working in golf, returns for 2025. This will see local school children visiting the tournament for careers talks by Tour employees and behind-the-scenes tours.
As part of the DP World Tour’s Green Drive sustainability programme, a range of initiatives will again take place on site, including cleaner energy, cleaner transportation, plastic reduction and waste minimisation. This year will also see the event championing golf’s close links with nature, with spectators able to participate in the new ‘Better with Nature’ campaign – learning more about the natural environment that surrounds the golf course via a nature trail, and accompanying scavenger hunt for children. A special Sustainable Golf Symposium, delivered with Scottish Golf and the GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf, will be attended by over 120 people, including golf clubs and a range of public and private sector stakeholders.
Speaking about the positive economic impact of the tournament, and its proactive commitment to lead on wider social and environmental priorities, Rob Dickson, Director of Industry and Events at VisitScotland, said: “The Genesis Scottish Open draws thousands of visitors from around the world each year, playing a key role in growing Scotland’s visitor economy, while also delivering meaningful social and environmental benefits. This has been underlined by the new economic impact study, which highlights the event’s wide-reaching value to communities and the tourism and events sector.
“VisitScotland’s long-standing involvement in the event reflects our commitment to showcasing the country through a diverse portfolio of sporting and cultural experiences that highlight our landscapes, hospitality, and heritage, while reinforcing our reputation as a world-leading tourism and events destination.”
Business Minister Richard Lochhead, said: “The Genesis Scottish Open is one of the centrepieces of Scotland’s sporting calendar and this report shows the very real benefits to come from staging such a significant international event.
“It is incredible that nearly 20,000 visitors headed to North Berwick every day for last year’s tournament and I wish the competitors, organisers and the event’s army of volunteers well ahead of what I’m sure will be an equally successful tournament this week.”
Rory Colville, Genesis Scottish Open Championship Director, added: “The Genesis Scottish Open has grown to become one of the pre-eminent tournaments in global golf, attracting an incredibly strong field of the world’s best players, as well as an extensive spectator entertainment programme. Spectator numbers are increasing year-on-year, and this new study shows that this is having a tangible economic benefit to both the local and national economy. With our partners at VisitScotland, Scottish Government, Genesis and the PGA TOUR, we are focused on increasing the positive economic and broader societal impact of the Rolex Series tournament once again this year.”
