Chiang Mai (Thailand) – April 30, 2016 (travelindex.com) – Golf tourism in Thailand's northern Thai city of Chiang Mai and the surrounding province is expected to increase by an unprecedented 25% over the next two years – as a direct result of hosting the 5th annual Asia Golf Tourism Convention.

This week, the city welcomes the largest delegation of golf tourism experts ever to the annual Asia Conference, organized by the global golf tourism industry association IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators), which has become a major networking event for golf travel in the region.

The event at the Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Centre is being attended by a record-breaking 643 delegates from 37 countries, including well over 200 buyers from tour operators representing 156 companies and 265 sales delegates from 155 golf resorts, golf clubs, hotels, incoming tour operators and tourism associations from across the Asia-Pacific region.

The event began on Monday after a welcome by dignitaries from the city and the surrounding region, with a spectacular opening ceremony featuring traditional Thai dance and drum performances with a golf theme.

Delegates will also have the opportunity to play golf at some of the region's 14 golf courses; the annual AGTC golf tournament will take place on Wednesday at two courses – the Chiangmai Highlands Golf and Spa Resort and the Mae Jo Golf Resort & Spa – while 126 delegates will participate in a post-congress fact-finding trip and another 11 will enjoy the culture and history of Mae Hong Son, Lampang and Lamphun on a non-golf tour.

In his speech to the delegates, IAGTO CEO Peter Walton highlighted the importance of golf for Chiang Mai and Thailand, saying: “Asia is now the powerhouse of global golf tourism, and Thailand is the engine at the heart of this dynamic region.”

“When selecting a venue for the AGTC, we consider the positive impact we can have on golf tourism in the region. The 14 golf courses in Chiang Mai province offer such great potential that we expect golf tourism in Northern Thailand to grow by around 25% over the next two years – a direct result of the 5th AGTC, which is taking place here in Chiang Mai this week.”

"One reason for this is that while golf tour operators are generally very familiar with Thailand as a golf destination, it is obvious that the majority have not visited Chiang Mai for many years, even for a decade or more."

Walton continued: “The quality of the golf courses, their hilly landscape combined with the high value of the hotels and the well-developed tourist infrastructure means that simple familiarity will certainly lead to success.”

“The conference itself was a resounding success: Chiang Mai set a new record with 643 delegates from 37 countries, including 220 golf tour operators, all offering golf trips to or within the Asia-Pacific region. Thailand is not the only country benefiting from the conference – with 4,200 pre-arranged business meetings and many more taking place both on-site and off-site, golf resorts, destinations, hotels, and golf courses from across the Asia-Pacific region are generating new business deals every hour.”

The Deputy Governor of Chiang Mai, Puttipong Sirimart, welcomed the congress participants to the gateway to Northern Thailand and Lanna culture and thanked the IAGTO for bringing more than 600 delegates from Europe, North America, South Africa, Australia, and across Asia. He added, “Golf tourism is a very important market for Chiang Mai, and we know that with your help we can grow this sector by about 25% over the next two years.”

Kitsana Kaewtumrong, Managing Director of the Marketing Department at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), explained to the AGTC delegates that the TAT's tourism strategy focuses on four niche markets: weddings and honeymoons, health and wellness, ecotourism, and golf. "The increasing demand for and popularity of golf in Thailand among international golfers and golf tour operators has undoubtedly caught the attention of the TAT. Consequently, we have given this market special emphasis, as golfers don't travel alone but with family and friends – a very important market for tourism," he said.

According to Dr. Sarawut Srisakuna, acting director general of the Pinkanakorn Development Agency, which operates the CMECC convention center hosting the AGTC, golfers in Thailand spend two to three times as much per day as leisure tourists. This underscores the importance of golf for the Chiang Mai region.

He pointed out that while Chiang Mai attracted almost eight million of Thailand's total of 29.88 million tourists in 2015, only 120,000 of those visitors were golfers.

“I am firmly convinced that today marks a new beginning for Chiang Mai,” he said. “This conference is the catalyst for the growth of tourism.”

For further information, please contact: Guillaume Post, Marketing & Communications Manager, IAGTO, Concorde House, Grenville Place, London NW7 3SA, United Kingdom, Email: [email protected], Tel.: +44 20 8906 3377, Web: www.iagto.com