Written by Mike Besa / Photos by Ricky Alegre
At the onset of the Duterte administration, the golf industry was filled with hope that golf tourism would finally get the much-needed support from the government that it so desperately needed. Wanda Tulfo was the appointed secretary of the Department of Tourism and Frederick (Ricky) Alegre, a colleague and avid golfer was appointed assistant secretary. As a result of Alegre’s passion for the game, the Asian Golf Tourism Convention was held in the country in April of 2018.
Golf tour operators from around the world made their way to the country in record numbers. The International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) let it be known that the convention at the Marriott Hotel in Resorts World Manila had the greatest number of tour operators in attendance, since the convention was initiated. Such was the interest within the international community for golf tourism in the country.
To millennials, golf might be a snooty old man’s game, but there was once a time that the Philippines was one of the great golfing nations of the world. Filipinos were among the best golfers on the planet, the Philippine Open is the oldest national open golf championship in Asia and many of the game’s great often made the Philippines a regular stop on their golf sojourns around the world. But those times are but a distant memory and the game has languished in the Philippines for the last two decades.
The Asian Golf Tourism Convention created a lot of buzz but most disappointingly, the buzz died out almost as quickly as it grabbed the headlines.
There were a variety of reasons for this. The local golf industry has, yet, to take a unified position on how to handle golf tourism in the country. Our best golf courses are all private clubs, so throwing the doors open with a red carpet welcoming all those that want to play was never really going to happen. Beyond that, Tulfo unexpectedly resigned under a cloud of financial impropriety. Her successor shelved all the existing programs, seemingly unwilling to sully her hands with potentially (politically) risky endeavors.
So, golf tourism was orphaned yet again and left to languish in the dustbin of failed government programs. The country’s golf courses continue to be the unicorns of the gigantic world golf tourism industry.
There are sectors of the golf industry that aren’t prepared for such as fate. Herminio “Minieng” Maravilla of the Iloilo Golf and Country Club rallied the country’s golf tourism proponents and hosted them at the Iloilo Golf Summit held in Santa Barbara on the 21st of September, this year.
In attendance were representatives from the Dakak Golf and Country Club, the Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club, the Villamor Golf Club, the Ayala Greenfield Golf and Country Club, the Orchard Golf and Country Club, as well as representatives from the Federation of Golf Clubs of the Philippines, Association for Inbound Golf Tourism, Resorts World Manila and some suppliers to the golf industry.
After the meetings and presentations, the group put forth a manifesto that appears here in its entirety:
MANIFESTO
Philippine National Golf Tourism Year 2020
Iloilo Golf Summit 2019
The Philippines is a tourist destination known for its beautiful natural resources, hospitable and friendly people, and a growing golf destination. Among the destinations sought by travelers are recreational facilities that exhibit the pristine and natural environment of the country including world-class golf courses.
The Philippine golf courses are located all over the Philippines, employing many Filipinos from all sectors of society, whose fluency in English complement the amenities and recreational activities sought by foreign and local tourists.
The promotion and enjoyment of golf as a part of the national tourism program will improve the quality of golf facilities, increase tourism revenues and promote employment in related service industries. Considering that golfing tourism is expected to increase significantly in fiscal year 2020, and the Philippines has the potential and the resources to benefit from the expected golf tourism boom, it is desirable to have a national golf tourism program that is fully supported by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, the Senate of the Philippines, the House of Representatives, the Department of Tourism, the Department of Finance, and the other departments, agencies and the local governments all over the country.
We, hereby, declare fiscal year 2020 as the Philippine National Golf Tourism Year and manifest to plan for and cooperate in a national golf tourism program together with the government and the private sector in order to promote the Philippines as a golfing tourism destination.
We further manifest that we commit ourselves individually, and as members of our respective clubs, offices, agencies, and businesses to cooperate and work in making the Philippines as a premier golf tourism destination in the year 2020 and onwards, and to encourage, invite, and seek the vibrant participation of all sectors of the Philippines in realizing this objective.
Anyone remotely acquainted with the game in the country knows fully well the economic impact of a golf club on the community around it. The club provides employment, requires supplies and services. All of which represent financial opportunities for all sectors of society. Adding the prospect of tourism dollars will enhance all of this and bring real long-term prosperity to the community.
It is, therefore, unfortunate that the turn of political events that led to the changing of the guard in the Department of Tourism resulted in the scrapping of one of the most promising tourism projects of this administration. The golf tourism is a $250 billion worldwide industry with precious little coming to the Philippines. If anything, Korean tour operators have struck gold here and bring in thousands of golf tourists a year. But since they control nearly all facets of their local operations, a mere fraction of the money earned trickles down to the local economy.
The Korean model is proof positive of the potential of the Philippines as a viable, profitable golf tourist destination. The economic impact on the communities that support golf courses would be immeasurable. This isn’t something that will require massive infusion of government funds either. All the components are already in place, the people and the golf clubs are ready and willing to support its growth.
All that is required is the leadership that only the government can provide and some incentives to persuade all private clubs to join the program and work together to allow the industry to prosper. After all, what program is in a position to generate the potential foreign revenue with as little investment as golf tourism? Golf tourism is as viable an endeavor as it was when we were all on a high after the Asian Golf Tourism Convention. It’s a no-brainer.
Image credits: Ricky Alegre