Danang welcomes golfers

September 04, 2022 | 08:00
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Last week’s Danang Golf Tourism Festival took place with the centrepiece being the BRG Open Golf Championship Danang, which drew in over 140 players from around the world.
Danang welcomes golfers
Danang welcomes Golfers

The championship is part of the Asian Development Tour (ADT) system. Sponsored by the Vietnam Golf Association and hosted for the first time in Vietnam by the ADT, BRG’s golf competition included the participation of 120 professional golfers from countries such as South Korea, Japan, Australia, the United States, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and more besides. An additional 20 professional golfers and several amateurs from Vietnam were selected by sponsors, promising to provide the audience with an engaging and high-quality event.

The golfing festival was held on Nicklaus Course at BRG Danang Golf Resort, the first stadium in Asia to be constructed in the traditional Florida embankment design. Before the event, BRG Group invited international specialists to inspect and verify the quality of the course.

Nguyen Xuan Binh, deputy director of the Danang Department of Tourism, stated that coordinating units also prepared for a seminar on golfing tourism as well as a conference on the sustainability of the golf industry, which featured professional golf speakers. Discussions were focused on tourism development, models in other nations, and the prospects for Danang as a golf destination.

“Tournaments were held to boost the appeal of tour itineraries provided by the courses, contribute to the promotion of golf sites, and attract local and foreign players,” Binh said. “The sharing of expertise and the awarding of incentives will target major tourism markets interested in golf tourism, thus attracting high-quality travellers.”

The city offers tours and travel experiences for conference speakers, golf travel professionals, and foreign travellers through Sun World Ba Na Hills, the Danang by Night Tour, and others. Danang also boasts other cultural events to promote the impression of the city to worldwide attendees.

Also taking place at the Danang Golf Tourism Festival were the Pro-Am tournament on August 30; practise exercises at regional golf courses such as Montgomerie Links from August 25 to September 5; and free golf practice for children under 12 at Laguna Lang Co golf course.

Danang is now pushing and utilising several varieties of high-quality hospitality in order to boost the tourist industry. Golf tourism has been highlighted as a form of tourism with significant growth potential, which is anticipated to contribute significantly to the revitalisation of the tourist sector.

According to the World Tourism Organization, golf tourists can spend up to six times as much as conventional tourists. Therefore, targeting the high-end tourist market segment is the ideal tourism strategic plan for the city in the near future, contributing to Danang’s progressive transformation into a high-class, elevated destination.

Ken Kudo, representative of the Asian Development Tour stated, “Vietnam’s golf market has developed fast over the past few years, with multiple courses that exceed global competition standards, such as BRG Danang Golf Resort. Vietnam has successfully hosted several big tour events in the past. We feel that this tournament will continue to be a significant milestone for golf in Vietnam, particularly in Danang.”

Tran Phuoc Son, Vice chairman of Danang People’s Committee, stressed that holding such tournaments adds to Danang’s reputation as Asia’s premier festival-event destination.

“The objective of the city’s tourism sector is to vitally factor into golf tourism markets such as South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asian nations; to reestablish Danang’s foreign market after the pandemic; and to foster the growth of greater tourism in full compliance with the city’s tourism development alignment,” Son said.

Danang’s varied landscape, which consists of prairies, steep peaks, and a 92km coastline, is conducive to the creation of a range of golf courses to host international competitions.

There are two golf courses in the city of Danang: BRG Danang Golf Resort and Ba Na Hills Golf Club. The former is the first 36-hole course in Danang to be designed by Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus, which attracts numerous domestic and international guests.

The Danang Golf Tourism Festival 2022 as a whole has been an opportunity to advertise and establish Danang’s tourism brand to become Asia’s number one golf destination. Danang will also host the competition in 2023 and 2024.

Nguyen Duc Quynh, general director of FURAMA Resort Danang and vice president of the Danang Tourism Association remarked, “Danang offers many direct flights overseas where several enterprises, huge businesses, and foreign businessmen reside and conduct operations. In addition, the airport is just 10-15 minutes away from popular resorts and not too far away from golf courses. This is a relatively competitive golf location compared to others in the vicinity.”

Golf set to drive tourism recovery Golf set to drive tourism recovery

Having been voted Asia’s top golfing destination for five consecutive years, Vietnam possesses a lot of potential for the development of golf tourism.

Golf course real estate  setting trends Golf course real estate setting trends

The openness in policies, the explosion in the number of golfers, and the trend of resorting and enjoying high-class services have created an impetus for golf real estate to develop rapidly and become an investment channel for the market.

By Viet Huong

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