Thailand’s Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silapa-Archa will join golfing dignitaries, officials and administrators from across the region in Pattaya next week to discuss future trends for the industry in Asia.
Chumpol will make a keynote address at the Royal Cliff Resort’s PEACH conference hall on the opening day of the week-long golfing festival that begins on October 31. The fifth edition of the Asia Pacific Golf Summit will be followed by the second PGA Conference of Asia and the inaugural Golf Course Superintendents of Asia Summit.
Other activities include the one-day Asean Golf Tourism Forum and the Southeast Asia and India Golf Merchandise Exposition (SEAIGME).
Mike Sebastian, CEO of the Asia Pacific Golf Group which is organising the events, said: “The Asia Pacific Golf Summit is the only custom-designed business conference that has served as a forum for key industry players to meet, discuss and exchange ideas on the challenges and opportunities confronting the industry.
“The 2011 Asia Pacific Golf Summit is an event that no serious decision makers in golf can afford to miss. There is no denying the fact that the problems faced by golf in the West are beginning to creep into Asia. Already, Japan has slowed down significantly. It is only a matter of time before the malaise threatening golf’s growth will spread throughout the region.
“The 2011 Asia Pacific Golf Summit has no desire to sit back and allow this to happen. The organisers have decided to address the challenges well before they become insurmountable problems. The early response is to meet the challenges head on, think positive and come up with effective solutions.”
Pattaya mayor Itthipol Khunpluem added: “I’m pleased that Pattaya is the host venue for these golf conferences and exhibitions. This is evidence that Pattaya is both an important centre for golf and a major international conference centre.”
The week-long activities are sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) and the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB).
