AGTC 2017: Great opportunity for promoting golf tourism in Vietnam  12:00, 25/02/2017

AGTC is without doubt the premier golf travel event in the Asia Pacific region and Vietnam, the highest trending golf destination in Asia at the moment, will attract a record number of golf tour operators from around the world, along with golf travel suppliers from every golf destination in the Asia Pacific.

All business sessions will take place at the brand new Ariyama Danang Exhibition & Convention Centre in the beach front Furama Resort, only 20 minutes from Danang Airport. More than 4000 meetings will take place between some 600 delegates from 37 countries including an expected 220 buyers.

AGTC combines 11 hours of one:one meetings between buyers and sellers with great networking opportunities including the Welcome Reception, Business Lunches and Golf Tournament. With fantastic golf courses designed by Nick Faldo, Greg Norman, Collin Montgomerie and Luke Donald, Danang is also a terrific golf destination, with many direct international flights and frequent 60-minute domestic flights every day from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Speaking at the Press Conference, the President of IAGTO Mr. Peter Walton said:

"We selected Danang as the host destination, after Conventions in Kuala Lumpur, Pattaya, Hainan Island, Jakarta and Chiang Mai, because Vietnam was voted IAGTO Golf Destination of the Year for 2016. Danang is, without doubt, the heart of golf tourism in Vietnam, and we strongly believe that Danang has the potential to become one of Asia’s best and most enjoyable golf destinations. Hosting AGTC this year will be a very important step in that process.

AGTC is the most important golf tourism event in the Asia Pacific region, and I am delighted to tell you that this year’s Convention has already broken all previous records. Already, 240 golf tour operators from 36 countries have registered for the event, which is 20% up on last year’s successful event in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

A staggering 45% of all golf tour operators in the world, selling golf vacations to Asian golf destinations, will be here in Danang for the AGTC. This represents an incredible opportunity, not only for Danang, but for the whole of Vietnam.

As a direct result of hosting AGTC, the number of golf tour operators promoting and selling golf vacations to Vietnam will increase by at least 25%.

Golf tourism to Danang last year was worth USD 68 million and there is existing capacity to increase this revenue by 50%. We anticipate that the business meetings and inspection trips during AGTC will lead directly to an additional USD 20 million per year in golf tourism to Danang.

We have accepted the invitation by the Danang Department of Tourism to develop a five-year golf tourism strategy that will be announced at AGTC in May. With the number of golf courses in the region expected to double from four to eight in this period, we have estimated that by 2021 golf tourism to Danang will be worth 175% more that it was last year – almost tripling the value golf tourism.

But the benefits of AGTC can go well beyond Danang. The Asia Golf Tourism Convention presents an opportunity to golf destinations throughout Vietnam to benefit from the growth in international golf tourism. Today we can announce that we will be inviting all golf destinations in Vietnam, including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Dalat, Nha Trang and Phu Quoc to bring delegations of golf courses and hotels to the AGTC here in May, accompanied by their regional tourist board.

We will also be staging a Forum during AGTC focusing on the development of golf tourism to Vietnam and addressing all the issues and opportunities in an open debate.

AGTC is a massive undertaking, and it has only been possible to bring the event to Danang because of the tremendous support and enthusiasm of both the public and private sectors here in the city".