MEDIA RELEASE PR41694
Thailand is off and Running as Asia's Golf Hub!
BANGKOK, Thailand, Oct. 11/ InfoQuest-AsiaNet/--
It's true! Thailand has earned its stripes as Asia's Golf Hub. The Southeast Asian
nation has worked hard to gain the right to be the golf capital of the region.
In less than twenty years, Thailand has transformed itself into one of Asia's
brightest stars on the golfing landscape. Today, the "land of a thousand smiles" has
more than 280 golf courses, which is more than any other country in Southeast Asia. It
is reported that Thailand is also home to between 500,000 to 700,000 golfers and it
has produced some of the greatest names in Asian Golf - Boonchu Ruangkit, Thongchai
Jaidee, Prayad Markseang and Thawon Wirachant to name a few.
Over the next 18 months, Thailand will raise the bar with the staging of a total of
nine world-class golf events. These events include:
1. 2010 Asia Pacific Golf Summit
October 18-20, 2010 at Bangkok Convention Center, Centara Grand Hotel
2. 2010 Asia Pacific Golf Industry Show
October 18-20, 2010 at Hall 2 Bangkok Convention Center, Centara
Grand Hotel
3. 2010 Golf Course Superintendents of Asia Summit
October 15-17, 2010 at the Royal Gems Golf and Sport Club,
Nakhonpratom Province
4. 2011 Asian Golf Tourism Forum
July 24-30, 2010 at Centara Grand Hotel
5. 2011 Southeast Asia/India Golf Merchandise Show
March 18-20, 2010 at Centara Grand
6. 2011 PGA of Asia Conference
March 18-20, 2010 at Centara Grand
7. 2011 Asia Pacific Golf Summit
October, 2010
8. 2011 Asia Pacific Golf Industry Show
(To be announced)
9. 2011 Golf Course Superintendents of Asia Summit
(To be announced)
All of these events are being produced and staged by Asia Pacific Golf Group through
its subsidiary, Asia Pacific Golf Development Conferences (APGDC). "We have selected
to headquarter all of our shows in Thailand based on very sound business reasons,"
explained Mike Sebastian, Chief Executive Officer of the Asia Pacific Golf Group. "It
is a nation that loves golf, enjoys a very strategic geographic location relative to
all of Asia and is just a terrific venue for international conferences and
exhibitions," he added.
Delegate registration to attend the Asia Pacific Golf Summit and the Inaugural Golf
Course Superintendents Summit of Asia is still open. The on-line registration link is:
All of APGDC's events are fully supported by the Thai government through the following
agencies:
* Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)
* Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT)
* Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB)
According to Mike Sebastian, "The three agencies have set up a task force to help in
the promotion of Thailand as the region's golf hub." Mr. Sansern Ngaorungsi, TAT's
deputy governor for International Marketing (Asia and South Pacific), heads the task
force. "We view all of the events being staged by APGDC as being a very important part
of our total effort to promote both the game of golf and golf tourism to Thailand in
particular."
"Golf in Thailand is a very unique brand of the game - it is unhurried, very
pleasurable, very affordable and the game can be played on a variety of locations - by
the sea, by the mountains, by the rainforests and right in the heart of bustling
Bangkok city," is how the golf experience in Thailand is described by Mr. Sansern
Ngaorungsi Deputy Governor for International Marketing (Asia and South Pacific)
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)
"We want to grow the game of golf in Thailand and continue to encourage more young
people to take up the game and we believe that by hosting international conferences
and exhibitions on golf, we will be able to expose not only our golfers to the latest
trends in the game but to also help generate greater interest amongst golfers in Asia
as a whole," pointed out Mr. Kanokphand Chulakasem, Governor of Sports Authority of
Thailand (SAT).
TCEB is of the strong opinion that APGDC's events will help promote Thailand as a
major business hub for the golf industry. "We are strategically located to serve as a
logistics centre for the multi-billion golf industry in the region and in time, we
hope that the major players in the golf industry will consider Thailand as a preferred
market place for their business events said Mr. Akapol Sorasuchart, President of
Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB).
As it now stands, Bangkok is a major business operational centre for a number of the
leading brand names in golf equipment.
"We are going to be experiencing a very busy few days in October as we stage the Asia
Pacific Golf Summit, the Asia Pacific Golf Industry Show and the Inaugural Golf Course
Superintendents of Asia Summit - never before has any city anywhere in Asia witnessed
such diversity in terms of the number of events for golf," Sebastian pointed out.
The patron for the Asia Pacific Golf Summit, Mr. Pornsit Sriorathaikul, President Thai
Golf Course Association said, "We are delighted to be playing host to the Asia Pacific
Golf Summit and it is my firm belief that by so doing, we are playing our part to help
grow the game of golf in Asia.
CONTACT:
Asia and South Pacific Marketing Group
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)
1600 New Petchaburi Rd. Ratchatewee Bangkok THAILAND
Tel. +66 2 250 5500 ext. 1694
Fax. +66 2 250 5618
SOURCE: Tourism Authority of Thailand
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