In a bit to attract golf lovers from India, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) New Delhi Office recently appointed India’s ace golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar as a Brand Ambassador for a campaign to promote Thailand as one of the most sought after golfing destinations.
“We wanted to attract Indian golfers through an Indian and Bhullar is right the right person. We believe he will be a huge inspiration to golfers in India. He has often been to Thailand and enjoys playing golf there. We believe that this partnership will be of long-term benefit to both Thai and Indian golfers since he is a young and fresh talent. He also takes care of junior golfers under the Gaganjeet Bhullar Foundation, which TAT has supported,” Runjuan Tongrut, Director, TAT New Delhi Office, said. According to her, there are one lakh golfers in India and Thailand only gets 5 per cent of that. “We want to double the number this year,” she said, and added that Bhullar did not charge any money for being the Brand Ambassador for Golf.
Commenting on his appointment, Bhullar said, “I have played tournaments in Thailand quite often where I always end up meeting people from the Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC), Bombay Presidency Golf Club (BPGC), or Delhi Golf Club (DGC). So I believe it is a great initiative to further popularise the game amongst Indians. I look forward to a close and fruitful association with Thailand and feel very privileged to be appointed its Brand Ambassador.”
Tongrut informed that there are over 250 courses in Thailand and this segment has a great potential in India. “Our strategy is to attract upmarket Indian visitors to our country, motivate them to visit different parts of the country, and increase their average length of stay,” she added. Replying to a question over TAT appointing more ambassadors for other niche segments, Tongrut said that the focus is on golf right now. “Once golf as a segment established in India, we will think of appointing other Brand Ambassadors for other niches,” she stated.
TAT has the full support of the golf courses in Thailand. “TAT, in partnership with golf courses in Thailand, have organised FAM trips for both agents and media. In addition, these courses proactively support us in our endeavor to promote Thailand as a golf destination,” she informed.
Recently Thailand hosted the Indian Golf Tourism Association (IGTA) tournament in Phuket and the World Corporate Golf Challenge (WCGC) tournament in Bangkok.
