HÀ NỘI — The Viet Nam Tourism Association organised a workshop to develop golf tourism as part of the Viet Nam International Travel Mart 2022 (VITM).

Addressing the event, Nguyễn Le Phuc, Deputy Chief of the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism said that Viet Nam can develop golf tourism, but the country has few golf tourism products and the number of international visitors taking golf tours remains low. 

In the future, golf will continue to become a global form of entertainment with new markets developing in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. Therefore, the policy of the tourism sector is to fully tap into advantages in order to develop sustainably golf tourism, Phuc said.

Trần Hiếu, director of the Institute of Sports Science (General Agency for Sports, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) suggested that it is necessary to develop policies on investment and business in golf services in Viet Nam, enhancing the service quality of golf activities, and organising professional as well as amateur tournaments.

He also believes that the tourism sector needs to strengthen the promotion of golf destinations in Viet Nam, build quality tourism packages, and tighten partnerships with countries with strengths in golf tourism to attract more tourists.

Le Thanh Hòa, CEO of Good Feeling Vietnam Travel Company, offers some more solutions such as treating golf businesses as tourism businesses and promoting Viet Nam’s golf tourism in key tourism markets.

According to the Viet Nam Golf Tourism Association (VIGTA), Viet Nam served 3 million golf visitors in 2019, including 1.5 million foreigners, earning about VNĐ4.5 trillion (US$197 million) in revenue. In the first quarter of 2020, the number of visitors and revenue still increased by about 10 per cent year-on-year.

Golf tourists to Viet Nam are mainly from the Republic of Korea, Japan, and a number of Southeast Asian nations.

Statistics show that more than 50,000 Vietnamese and 20,000 foreigners living in Viet Nam play golf.  The total number of golfers in the country is expected to rise to 300,000 by 2025. VNS