Hanoi (VNA) – With around 40 golf courses which have modern designsand meet international standards, Vietnam holds great potential to develop golftourism.

In November last year,the country was honoured as “Asia’s best golf destination 2018” by the WorldGolf Awards. This was the second consecutive year it had earned this title.

Moreover, The Grand-HoTram Strip in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau received the “Asia’sbest golf hotel” award, while Ba Na Hill Golf Club in central Da Nang city washonoured with the title of “Asia’s best golf course”.

These titles provethat Vietnam has emerged as a leading attractive golf destination in theregion.

According to the InternationalAssociation of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO), there are about 60 million golfersin the world and golf tourism is the third-largest driving force for tourismmovement in Asia.

Around 170 golf travelcompanies from 40 member countries of IAGTO that are exploring the Asian marketwant to expand their business in Vietnam, aiming to increase 50 percent ofbuyers for the Vietnamese market. The figure proves that the potential andopportunities for the development of golf tourism are huge.

The IAGTO said thatgolf tourists are known for their long stays and high expenditure, which isusually 2.2 times higher than spending by normal tourist on average. Therefore,golf tourism will become an effective market to attract international visitors,bringing sustainable and stable benefits to the “non-smoke industry” inVietnam.

However, this type oftourism is still new to Vietnam. A lack of connection between travel companiesand golf course owners had caused a low rate of golf tours. In addition, theservice system for golf tourism lacks professionalism. Notably, the country hasnot organised any large-scale golf tournaments.

According to experts,in order to develop golf tourism, it is crucial to set appropriate strategiesfor synchronous investment in the field. In addition to the improvement ofinfrastructure and professionalism of the service staff, the links betweentravel companies and golf courses, as well as between golf courses in Vietnamand in the region, should be enhanced to operate professional tours.

Last year, Australianprofessional golfer Greg Norman was selected as the ambassador for Vietnamesetourism in the golf field for the 2018-2021 tenure. This is the first timeVietnam has a tourism ambassador in this field. With his popularity, Norman isexpected to help promote Vietnam’s golf tourism to international friends.-VNA