About 170 global travel agents and tour operators specialising in golfing holidays will meet with about 80 Thai sellers at the Fifth Thailand Golf Travel Mart during 26 – 31 May 2002.
This year’s mart will be organised as part of a special campaign, “Thailand Golf Paradise”, which was launched in February 2002 to attract more golfers to Thailand and underscore the Kingdom’s rapidly growing popularity as a world-class golfing destination.
Well supported by Thai Airways International and the Thailand Golf Course Association, the mart has been organised annually by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) since 1998 as part of the strategy to develop more niche-market travel to Thailand.
The mart will further emphasize Thailand's position as a quality golfing destination with world-class greens and support facilities. It will also create opportunities for Thai businesses to initiate new golf packages and broaden the markets for their products and services.
Specialist buyers of golf holidays have been invited from major markets like Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Europe and Australia. Thai Airways International has extended specially discounted tickets and the Thailand Golf Course Association has coordinated with the participating golf courses to ensure that buyers get a chance to play at many of them.
The buyers will be given an opportunity to tour some of the best golf courses in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Saraburi, Rayong, Pattaya, Kanchanaburi, Hua Hin and Phuket. This is in line with the TAT’s policy to promote travel and tourism to the provinces and disseminate tourism revenue nationwide.
On 28 May, both buyers and sellers will join a golf tournament and participate in the opening ceremony, mart briefing, special promotional exhibitions of golf courses and a trade meet at the Thana City Golf and Country Club.
The following day, buyers will spend the morning surveying some courses in Bangkok and nearby areas. In the afternoon, they will depart for Hua Hin/Cha- am to attend the trade exhibition and a cocktail reception at Hilton Hotel.
On 30 May, both buyers and sellers will participate in the Eighth Invitational Hua Hin/Cha-am Golf Tournament at the Imperial Lake View Golf Club and later attend the farewell dinner at the Sofitel Central Hua
Hin.
TAT Acting Governor and Deputy Governor for Marketing Mrs. Juthamas Siriwan said, “We expect the number of international golfers to Thailand to rise from 350,000 to one million by 2007, with total foreign exchange spending of 18.45 billion
baht.
“Events like the Golf Travel Mart are designed to help achieve this objective,” she said. “We thank all those who have worked hard and given us their valuable co-operation to make it possible.”
Thailand boasts about 150 championship golf courses nationwide which attract thousands of local and international golfers. The green fees in Thailand are among the most affordable in the world.
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