Destination Golf - November 2016 * | Page 35

m Sakocius From the untouched beaches and transcendent temples of Myanmar to the mystical mountains and blinding tropical white sand beaches of Vietnam, to the otherworldly destination hot spots like Cambodia and Laos, to the well-oiled golf tourism machines of Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, SE Asia may be the best bargain in exotic golf today. While golf is in a funk around the world, fair winds are blowing through SE Asia as operators are inventing new ways to attract some tourist dollars already flowing through the region. THE WINNERS ARE SAVVY GOLFING TOURISTS! There are amazing packages online in Thailand and other nearby countries playing on courses ranging from above average to great. These packages coupled with a good deal on airfare will surely transform the concept of picking up a few extra tourist dollars, into packaging real destination trips of a lifetime. A new golf development boom is blossoming in places like Vietnam, Myanmar, and even Cambodia with many of the new venues aimed at destination travelers with a penchant for golf plus a little or a lot more. Golf and Beach packages abound in infinite variety in terms of accommodations and quantity and budget Whether you want lots of beach and a little golf, an equal does of each, side tours, or full blown gorging on a two serving ad day golf buffet, you can have it. Like never before, tour operators are eminently flexible in customizing and even making last minute adjustments. Working around the rainy seasons can result in some ridiculous bargains. What many international tourists don’t get is that there is a lot of golf played in the rainy seasons here. In many countries few locals even carry umbrellas as the rains are fairly predictable and easy to wait out. While there are some extra heavy times of the year, region by region to be avoided, the early to middle parts of the rainy Volume 3 • Issue 36 35