I promised to report back on my trip to Thailand last month. There were two reasons for the trip – firstly to attend the International Association of Golf Tour Operators Asia Convention (IAGTO) in Chiang Mai, and secondly to check out the hotels, golf courses and itinerary that we have planned for our tour to Thailand in February next year.
The Convention gave me a great opportunity to meet many suppliers within our industry – golf courses, hotels, ground operators – all the people we deal with that helps us create a memorable experience for you when on tour. As it was the Asian convention, the majority of the suppliers were from Asia, although other countries were represented. In addition, a group of us were hosted by the Tourist Authority of Chiang Mai and taken round the area and shown many of the sights. I have certainly seen enough Temples and Buddha’s for a while!
Just like our Vietnam tour, our Thailand Golf & Culture Tour will visit three very different centres – Bangkok, Chiang Mai & Hua Hin – which will help to give an understanding of what Thailand is really like. Prior to and after the convention, I checked out Bangkok and Hua Hin. Our hotels are great and well positioned to allow you to explore the locality easily. In Bangkok we will have two excursions – one around the city of Bangkok which includes a boat trip on the river and on some of the canals there, and one where we spend a day visiting the River Kwai area and see what took place there during the Second World War. In Hua Hin, our hotel is on the beach and breakfast is served overlooking the ocean. The Royal Summer Palace is also here, and by law, the Thai navy has to protect it by patrolling the seas just off shore at all times! We will also play the top golf course in South East Asia, Black Mountain, which is just 20 minutes outside of the town. It is a superb course and quite a challenge, I’m told, although there wasn’t time for me to play a round. In Chiang Mai there is an opportunity to get close and personal with elephants – I was able to feed one, which is quite a strange experience, letting the elephant wrap its trunk around the piece of fruit and my hand!
If you liked Vietnam, youll love Thailand. Come and see for yourself!
