As the Department of Tourism (DOT) is also positioning the Philippines as a global hub for sports tourism including golf, Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said that the time is now for the government and the private sector to work together.
“Today marks the Philippines’ long overdue foray into the multi-billion golf tourism industry that will no doubt have an enormous impact on the Philippine economy. And it’s about time that the government and the private sector come together to converge and to collaborate,” Frasco said in her address during the inaugural golf tourism summit held at Grand Hyatt Manila recently.
The Philippines has over 100 golf courses spread across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Currently, the Philippines has over 100 golf courses spread across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, with Santa Barbara Golf Course in Iloilo Province deemed as the oldest. It was built in 1907, thus, making the country a home to one of the oldest golf courses in Asia.
“Golf tourism represents a promising frontier for the Philippines and this summit highlights our proactive approach in understanding, nurturing, listening to the golf tourism industry and developing this niche as part of our tourism industry portfolio,” the tourism chief said.
“We are hopeful that this first Philippine Golf Tourism Summit can be a catalyst.”
“We are hopeful that this first Philippine Golf Tourism Summit can be a catalyst and serve as a platform to gather insights, recommendations, and concerns, paving the way for informed decisions and strategies as well as a unified national government tourism policy towards golf tourism that can be aligned with our local government units all over the country,” the tourism head added.
Panelists of the summit included Business Mirror Golf Editor Mike Besa who discussed “The Potential of Golf Tourism”; Outlast Sports and Entertainment Chief Executive Officer Salauddin SS who shared “The Right Market”; and Philippine Tour Operator Association (PHILTOA) President Fe Abling-Yu who discussed “First Tee With the Tourism Industry”; and Batangas Vice Governor and founder of Golf Batangas Mark Leviste.
The summit was organized by the Office of Product Development of Golf Tourism and Special Projects.
