Spain’s world-famous La Manga Club resort is looking forward to welcoming a new generation of sports enthusiasts after partnering with Smile Group Travel – one of the UK’s leading sports tour operators.
The award-winning venue in Murcia, south-east Spain, has teamed up with Smile in a new relationship that will see the Essex-based company extensively promote the resort in the UK on an initial three-year basis.
Offering tours across the world for all sports, especially cricket, netball, rugby, football, hockey, swimming, tennis and golf, Smile Group Travel has grown over the last decade to become market leaders in organising bespoke sports programmes and events, arranging schedules for professional teams, universities, national and international associations, schools and businesses.
Under the terms of the agreement, the tour operator – who are the official travel partners for England Netball – will promote La Manga Club and its extensive array of sports and leisure facilities, which include a new European Cricket Performance Centre – the only one in Europe – three 18-hole golf courses, a 28-court tennis centre and 2,000sqm Wellness Centre.
Chad Harpur, director of sport at La Manga Club, said: “The resort is thrilled to be working with Smile Group Travel for the next three years. Their track record in organising sports tours in a wide range of different markets is second to none and we’ve been extremely impressed with the professionalism and expertise they’ve shown when we’ve worked with them before.
“La Manga Club is regarded as one of the world’s premier sports destinations, and this new partnership will only serve to enhance our global reputation as a leading venue for sports groups of all levels and ages.”
Smile Group Travel was founded by cricket lover and qualified coach Graeme Walker in Barbados in 2008, and organises tours and events all over the world.
The tour operator has worked with some of the biggest names in sport, especially cricket, with its extensive client list including the likes of county champions Essex, Hampshire, Sussex and Kent; the Lord’s Taverners; and England World Cup winner Lydia Greenway.
Walker said: “La Manga Club is a name that is synonymous throughout the sporting world. The resort shares the same passion for sport that we do and it’s a great privilege for us to have signed this agreement.
“With a wealth of five-star sports and leisure facilities – including the fantastic new cricket centre and first-class netball facilities – and a wide choice of accommodation, La Manga Club has so much to offer across the sporting spectrum for people of all ages, and we can’t wait to start promoting the resort to new and existing markets.
“We have always received great feedback from the groups that we’ve sent to the resort in the past and this deal will allow us to improve the service we can offer even further. Not only we will be able to offer groups ground support while they are at the resort, but we will also be expanding the number of tournaments, bespoke tours and high-quality training camps that we can offer to men and women, while also opening up the exciting possibility of multi-sports tours.”
The agreement is the latest significant sports partnership that La Manga Club has secured this winter with the resort launching a new Chelsea FC Foundation Soccer School this Easter, as well as becoming an official sponsor of The Tennis Podcast – one of the game’s most exciting and innovative new media outlets – and signing a three-year deal to host the prestigious European Senior Club Tennis Championship.
Also the official overseas training base of the Lawn Tennis Association, La Manga Club’s extensive facilities include three 18-hole golf courses and a Golf Training Centre, a 28-court tennis centre, a High Performance Sports Centre and 2,000m² Wellness Centre. There is also a five-star hotel, four-star serviced apartments and townhouses and more than 15 bars and restaurants.
For more information on La Manga Club and to book, please visit www.lamangaclub.com
For further details about Smile Golf Travel, phone 01708 893250 or go to www.smilegrouptravel.com
ENDS
About La Manga Club
Located in a magnificent natural environment next to Calblanque National Park and the Mediterranean Sea, with a mild year-round climate and enjoying exceptional security and privacy, the exclusive resort of La Manga Club (Los Belones, Cartagena, Murcia) offers luxury, leisure and sport in the same place, and is set just 20 minutes from Murcia airport and an hour away from Alicante.
Founded in 1972, the resort now covers an area of 566 hectares containing accommodation, professional sports facilities, relaxation zones, first-class redevelopment and a private community of 2,300 residents, in a region which boasts more than 350 days’ of sun and is surrounded by natural parks and untouched beaches.
La Manga Club’s extensive facilities include:
- A five-star hotel: Hotel Príncipe Felipe 5*
- Tourist apartments: Las Lomas Village 4*
- Luxury villas
- Three 18-hole golf courses
- A 28-court tennis centre
- Eight Fifa-sized football pitches
- 2,000m2 Wellness Centre
- The resort’s famous La Cala beach and restaurant, overlooking the Mediterranean
- More than 15 bars and restaurants
Additionally, there is the opportunity to rent a property, purchase a plot of land or buy any of the villas already available that have been built on the complex, and benefit from the services and commodities that a five-star hotel has to offer, such as the sports facilities on the resort.
With the variety of activities and facilities available, La Manga Club has firmly established itself as one of the best sports and leisure destination resorts in Europe, and has been the proud recipient of a host of prestigious international awards and accolades over the last four decades.
High-resolution images of La Manga Club may be downloaded for editorial purposes from here.