Travellers keen to tee off across Southeast Asia

Travellers keen to tee off across Southeast Asia

Flying from Japan, India or other countries in the region, it’s not uncommon to see massive golf bags being claimed in oversized luggage areas by tourists flying in for a weekend of golf in Thailand or Malaysia.

These are the travellers who prompted the American entrepreneur Mark Siegel to buy the Bangkok-based golf tour specialist Golfasian Co Ltd eight years ago. The business has kept growing every year despite political instability, natural disasters and other concerns.

“Now is a good time to be involved in the golf industry in Asia because more people are entering the sport, more golf courses are being built and more tourists are arriving,” says Mr Siegel.

Golfasia specialises in packaging golf holiday tours, for both individuals and groups, not just in Thailand but also in Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Indonesia.

The sport remains popular in Asia despite the global economic doldrums because golf tourism in the region is less expensive compared with other countries.

“We have a lot of people coming during bad economic times,” said Mr Siegel. “People who might typically go to Europe or America for golf holidays would come to Asia to save money, not to spend extra money. Golf is very good value for money in Asia.”

One appeal of golf, he says, is that every course is different and golfers like to travel to different places to explore new locations.

“For new countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos, they are becoming more interesting and many courses are being built at the moment,” he added. “These markets are attractive because people have never visited them.”

Mr Siegel noted that in Thailand, the sport has been established for 100 years while is some of its neighbouring countries, golf has only been played for the last five to 10 years.

“Thailand is the third largest and most successful golf destination in the world,” he said, adding that in Vietnam and Thailand, tourists accounted for more than half of the golfers.

However, he noted that golf tourism is not popular at all China and India, which have their own large domestic markets to serve. In addition, clubs keep prices for non-members or visitors very high as a deterrent since local player demand is already high.

Golfers want to try different places every year and Asia is the perfect spot during the northern winters for enthusiasts to visit. “Golfing in Asia combines traditional local culture, sightseeing, food, and entertainment together in one place,” said Mr Siegel.

One factor that makes Asia very attractive is that most courses also cater very well to female golfers as well as female non-golfers.

“Eighty percent of the golfers are men and they want to bring their wives with them,” he said. “There is a lot for ladies to do at the club such as massage, spa, cooking and shopping.”

Mr Siegel hopes to see the golf industry in Asia mature to the point where up to 10% of the total population is involved in the sport, similar to the proportion in Europe and North America.

“The biggest [golf market] in Asia is only about one percent so far, so we still have a long way to go. The Asian golf market is going to grow but for how much longer? I have no idea. Maybe 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, but it’s definitely not going to go down,” he said.

In China, there are 400 or 500 golf courses with only a few million golfers. They make up only 0.1 percent of the population, while in Thailand the ratio is one percent.

For Mr Siegel personally, the Thai Country Club is by far his favourite destination for golf holiday.

Tim Trinka, the president of the Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF), says that Thailand for years has led the way in inbound golf tourism.

“The Tourism Authority of Thailand has done a fabulous job in promoting the country as a golfing haven,” he said. “They offer great courses, great caddies, great accommodation, great food and great value for money. It’s a winning formula.

“We’re now seeing other Asian countries following the lead of Thailand and making a serious effort to promote golf tourism and attract golfers from Europe, the United States, Australia, China and the rest of Asia.

“In particular, Indonesia and Vietnam are rapidly emerging as bona fide golf tourism hotspots as well as Malaysia and certain areas of China, most notably Hainan.”

According to the IGATO Golf Tourism Report 2013, Siem Reap in Cambodia has seen its sales rise to the fourth fastest of all golf destinations as Cambodia gains awareness among players and golf gains in popularity.

Thailand has also done well, benefitting from Pattaya being named the Golf Destination of the Year in 2012 by the IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators). By achieving the fifth strongest growth in 2012, Thailand has become the seventh most-important golf destination for IAGTO operators.

In Malaysia, operators are looking to promote more destinations that are more affordable to widen its appeal to general public.

In the Philippines, there were positive records in 2012 for outbound golf travel due to the rapid growth of the economy, while in Vietnam and Cambodia, more tour operators are focusing on fulfilling the aspirations of their golfing clients.

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