Building The New Links

More hotels are on the way—usually attached to golf courses. In addition to Trump's colossal development, other projects under consideration include a new £40 million complex on the Ury Estate in Stonehaven that will include a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, a luxury hotel, an equestrian center and a shooting range. Scottish golfing great Paul Lawrie is also hoping to get in on the links action; councilors last month backed his £115 million proposal for a golf development in a former Roman Catholic seminary, which will include a hotel and a championship course. "We will never be a cheap destination, but we are a good value," says Dunlop. "We target the slightly more discerning visitor [rather] than your average run-of-the-mill Scottish tourist."

Still, as economic salvation, tourism has its limits. Alexander Kemp, a professor at the University of Aberdeen Business School, warns that the region should not pin all its hopes on a single strategy. "It can only be one element because tourism is seasonal, whereas oil is all-year-round, 24 hours a day and 365 days per year," he says. Lucky for Donald Trump, plenty of hard-core golfers approach their sport with the same kind of year-round commitment.

© 2008