Golfasian Reports Increase in Bookings to Southeast Asia

by TravelPulse Staff
Last updated: 6:46 AM ET, Wed December 9, 2009

Golfasian Co. Ltd., a Southeast Asian golf tour operator, reported a 23 percent increase in bookings for the 12-month period ending November. This boost in golf holiday traffic runs counter to the largely sluggish demand in global tourism and belies the negative travel perceptions prompted by Thailand's ongoing political disquiet. Moreover, Bangkok-based Golfasian has expanded its headquarters in the Thai capital and established satellite operations in the Thai cities of Hua Hin, Pattaya, Phuket and Chiang Mai, while founding similar beachheads in Vietnam (Saigon and Hanoi), Cambodia (Siem Reap) and Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur). "This expansion will further enhance the company's service reputation and market-leading position with Asian golfers and travel agents, but also with golfers and our new partners in North America and Europe," said Mark Siegel, managing director of Golfasian. "While most companies here complained about the drop in arrivals during 2009, and cut their marketing expenditures, we increased our spending. By reaching out to overseas agents and golfing clients, we've been able to convince them of the tremendous value of our golf tours, especially multi-destination tours and those which combine golf and cultural travel."

Golfasian spearheads "Golf In A Kingdom: The Thai Golf Experience" (www.golfinakingdom.com) , a regional golf course and hotel cooperative in Thailand. It is also the official tour operator of a similar consortium in Vietnam, The Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail (www.hochiminhgolftrail.com) . Siegel believes that Golfasian's growth over the last 12 months has resulted in part from a major marketing push in North America, launched in cooperation with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (www.tourismthailand.org) , and Australia. However, Siegel also believes the diversity of Golfasian tours has kindled interest from all markets, long and short haul. He pointed to the fact that Golfasian now books trips to the Malaysian island of Langkawi, home to the Golf Club at Datai Bay, and the East Malaysian hub of Kota Kinabalu, home to the Shangri-La Rasa Ria Resort.

In addition to the Golfasian brand, the company now owns and operates the Phuket golf travel-focused www.Phuket-golfthailand.com ; a Hua Hin-focused site, www.fairway-golf-tours.com; the Thailand golf instruction leader www.GolfThink.com ; and the Internet's only two blogs dealing exclusively with golf in Thailand, www.ThailandGolfZone.com and www.ThailandGolfBlog.com . Frequent updates cover golf course reviews, destination information, guidance on the best places eat, and holiday-arranging advice. This information helps golfers ensure their various vacation components match strict individual selection criteria. For more information, visit www.golfasian.com .