Accelerating the development of golf tourism.

With over 80 world-class golf courses and projected revenue reaching $1 billion by 2025, golf tourism is identified as one of the key products to attract high-end tourists.

Vietnam boasts numerous world-class golf courses, making it an attractive golf tourism destination.

With the goal of sustainable development and increasing stable revenue, golf tourism is receiving significant investment from local authorities, creating a tourism ecosystem that combines sports with cultural, natural, and culinary exploration, thereby increasing the value and attractiveness of the destination.

Positioning as a world-class golf tourism destination.

According to the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, in recent years, golf tourism in Vietnam has become a bright spot on the tourism map, contributing significantly to the industry's revenue. Revenue from golf tourism reached US$600 million in 2022 and is expected to reach US$1 billion in 2025, contributing approximately 8-10% of the total national tourism revenue.

By 2025, Vietnam will have over 80 operational 18-hole golf courses meeting international standards. Vietnamese golf courses are of high quality and class, each unique due to its advantageous topography and the natural and cultural resources of its respective region, making them attractive to tourists. Names like The Bluffs Grand Ho Tram Strip (ranked among the top 100 golf courses in the world), Laguna Lang Co, Hoiana Shores Golf Club, and Ba Na Hills Golf Club... have proven their quality, attracting millions of international golfers annually.

The reputation of the Vietnamese golf market has also been affirmed by numerous prestigious international awards. For eight consecutive years (2017-2024), Vietnam was honored by the World Golf Organization (WGA) as the "Leading Golf Destination in Asia" and twice as the "Best Golf Destination in the World" (2019, 2021). Many localities in Vietnam have also been recognized as reputable and high-quality golf destinations. For example, Hanoi, the capital city, was honored by the WGA as the "Best Golf City Destination in the World" for two consecutive years (2023 and 2024).

According to Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, the awards demonstrate the great potential and advantages of Vietnam's golf tourism, while also affirming its capacity to organize international-level golf tournaments that can meet the needs of high-end and discerning customers.

“Golf tourism is a potential tourism product, making a significant contribution to attracting international tourists to Vietnam, especially from key markets such as South Korea, Japan, the United States, Europe, and the Middle East... Developing golf tourism is not only about developing a high-end sport but also about developing a high-class tourism ecosystem, from infrastructure and facilities to 5-star hotels, accommodations, and restaurants. Therefore, the policy of the Vietnamese tourism industry is to leverage advantages and potential to develop golf tourism in a sustainable direction, which is considered one of the orientations for developing Vietnamese tourism products in the coming years,” Mr. Nguyen Trung Khanh stated.

Building a distinctive tourism brand.

Despite having many advantages and receiving investment from many localities in large golf courses, experts believe that golf tourism in Vietnam is still in the "potential" stage and has not yet truly become a sustainable, strong product.

According to Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Tourism Administration, Ha Van Sieu, golf tourism products are still limited due to a lack of comprehensively invested golf courses that are connected to experiential tourism routes. The proportion of international tourists playing golf is not high in the total number of international tourists visiting Vietnam. The link between travel businesses and golf courses is still weak, and golf tourism has not yet connected with other types of tourism such as MICE (tourism combined with conferences and seminars)...

Regarding this issue, Pham Hai Quynh, Director of the Asian Tourism Development Institute, believes that golf tourism in Vietnam is still quite simplistic, with visitors primarily coming to play golf and rarely exploring or experiencing the local culture and nature. The reason is that Vietnam lacks products that connect golf with cultural and experiential activities; and communication and promotion efforts are not yet effective.

To overcome limitations and make golf tourism a key product attracting high-end tourists, Mr. Pham Hai Quynh suggested that Vietnam needs to organize more major golf tournaments, bringing together renowned players to elevate the destination's status and increase its promotional influence. In addition, for golf tourism to thrive, it is necessary to develop tour packages that link golf activities with exploring local culture and cuisine.

According to Vu The Binh, Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, there needs to be an alliance of golf businesses to create a high-quality, upscale service system, building a golf tourism brand for each locality in a systematic and distinctive way.

Recently, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism awarded the appointment decision to Mr. Gregory John Norman (Gregor Norman), a world golf legend, to the position of Vietnam's Tourism Ambassador for the term 2025-2030. According to Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong, Vietnam is actively promoting golf as a key tourism product. Therefore, appointing Mr. Greg Norman as Vietnam's Tourism Ambassador will create a professional brand representative, helping to promote Vietnam's image in the international market, especially golf tourism. In the coming time, the Vietnam Tourism Ambassador will carry out many promotional activities, focusing on golf tourism, with the goal of attracting more international tourists, especially high-end tourists, to Vietnam in 2025 and subsequent years.

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Source: https://baolaocai.vn/tang-toc-phat-trien-du-lich-golf-post649852.html