In an bid to tell world golfers what Asian golfers already know, the golf establishment in Thailand has launched ‘Golf in a Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience’ (www.golfinakingdom.com); a cooperative itinerary that matches the country’s top courses with its most desirable hotels, including international operators such as Marriott and Anantara. The Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT) has partnered eight premium golf properties, Bangkok-based tour operator, Golfasian, and six of the country’s premier hotels to form this initiative.
“I think golfers in North America have an inkling that golf is played in Thailand; Europeans have slightly more of an inkling, but I don’t think golfers on either continent fully realise that this is a country with more than 250 courses, many of them as good as you’ll find anywhere in the world,” said Mark Siegel, President of Golfasian.
The cooperative effort has been in the planning since 2007, but its launch this month is timely. According to TAT, some 3.2 million visitors arrived in Thailand the first quarter of 2009 - a 19% decline from the previous year.