Golf convention will spotlight Danang’s luxury travel appeal

45 golf tour operators selling vacations to Asian golf destinations will attend AGTC 2017, Photo: Dung Minh

The International Association of Golf Tourism Operators (IAGTO) calculates the golf tourism could bring Danang $40 million in annual income by 2019.

Danang’s hosting of the sixth Asia Golf Tourism Convention (AGTC) is anticipated to provide a valuable opportunity for the city to spur luxury tourism development, matching the tourism development expectations of city management authorities.

The IAGTO-hosted AGTC 2017 is a major event in the global golf tourism industry, where new premier golf courses have a chance to get exposure to the public, and golf tourism professionals and hotel operators can network.

IAGTO figures show that there are about 56 million golfers worldwide, and that golf tourism is ranked third in Asian tourism targets.

IAGTO counts among its membership 169 golf tourism companies in 41 countries operating in the Asian market. Many of these companies are contemplating an expansion to Vietnam, with the target of increasing golf tourist numbers by 50 per cent for the Vietnamese market.

As golf tourists are estimated to spend 2.2 times more than conventional tourists, IAGTO

Last year, the fifth AGTC took place in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and attracted 634 companies from 37 countries. More than 4,200 meetings reportedly took place between 220 buyers and 155 sellers, representing diverse golf resorts and golf tour operators across the Asia Pacific region.

By leveraging the attention, the Chiang Mai tourism sector expects a 25 per cent increase in international golf tourism market share in the next two years.

IAGTO members held an 87 per cent market share of golf tourism packages globally, generating more than €2.1 billion ($2.3 billion) in total revenue in 2015.