Bangkok--27 Oct--TAT
Top-ranking government officials from national tourism organisations representing 10 key nations from the Southeast Asian region will meet in Thailand to work on a road map for the promotion of golf tourism.
The inaugural ASEAN Golf Tourism Forum is being spearheaded by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Thailand has been elected to look after the interest of ASEAN Tourism for the next two years under the chairmanship of Sansern Ngaorungsi, the TAT’s Deputy Governor.
ASEAN, the acronym for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a regional political and economic grouping.
Within the 10 countries that make up ASEAN, there are nearly 700 golf courses — many of which are world-class facilities designed by some of the greats in the business like Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Schmidt-Curley and Robert Trent Jones Jr.
The Forum will be staged at the beach resort city of Pattaya on November 3. It is being organised by the Asia Pacific Golf Group (APGG) in conjunction with the 2011 Asia Pacific Golf Summit and hosted by TAT.
Sansern said: “This is a huge opportunity for all those involved in the promotion of golf tourism. Thailand is perfectly positioned to offer golfers from around the world a truly unmatched experience in golf … and the same applies to all the countries of ASEAN.
“Collectively, the 10 countries that make up ASEAN can offer golf facilities that are playable all year round. Combined with our unique attractions of sites, cultures, traditions and food, we believe that golf tourism is poised to grow exponentially in our region.”
Mike Sebastian, producer of the Forum and Chief Executive Officer of the APGG, said: “The event will be attended by top officials from the national tourist organisations of the ASEAN countries, national golf associations and major travel agencies involved in the promotion and marketing of golf tourism.”
The theme for the Forum is Golf Tourism — An Engine of Growth.
Chumpol Silapa-Archa, Minister of Tourism and Sports, will make a Ministerial address on the opening day of the Asia Pacific Golf Summit, while Pornsit Sriratthaikul, President of the Thai Golf Course Association, and The Honourable Itthipol Kunplome, Mayor of Pattaya City, are the event’s Patrons.
The week-long activities are being sponsored and supported by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) and Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB).
THAILAND ‘GOLF HUB OF ASIA’ EVENT DATES 2011
- Asia Pacific Golf Summit |October 31-November 2|
- Golf Course Superintendents of Asia Summit |October 31-November 2|
- ASEAN Golf Tourism Forum |November 3|
- PGA Conference of Asia |November 3-4|
- All-Asia Inter-City Club Challenge |November 3-5|
- Southeast Asia and India Golf Merchandise Exposition (SEAIGME) |November 4-6|
For further information, please contact Spencer Robinson at
[email protected]
About the Asia Pacific Golf Summit:
The Asia Pacific Golf Summit was inaugurated in Singapore in 2007. In 2008 it was staged in the southern China Province of Guangdong at Mission Hills Shenzhen before moving to the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur in 2009 and onto Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, in 2010. This year it is being held in Pattaya at the sprawling, world-class Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Centre (PEACH). The host hotel for the events is the plush five-star Royal Cliff Hotels Group. For further details, please visit www.golfconference.org and www.asiapacificgolfgroup.com