Mission Hills China receives 2006 IAGTO Award

Mission Hills Golf Club in China, the world's largest golf facility, has been voted Golf Resort of the Year for the Rest of the World category at the 2006 International Association Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) Awards.

The award recognises that Mission Hills China represents the best golf tourism opportunity outside the United States and Europe and has established itself as one of the best sporting venues in the world. The winner in the United States was the renowned Pebble Beach Resort and, for Europe, the famous Westin Turnberry Resort, venue for 2009 British Open, in Scotland triumphed.

The awards are voted by IAGTO's specialized golf tour operator members which now number over 240 from 38 different countries. Each operator was asked to vote for what they considered to be the best performing golf resorts of the year. The following criteria were considered:
" Customer Satisfaction
" Quality of Golf Courses and Accommodation
" Value for money
" Accessibility to Tee Times

Peter Walton, Chief Executive of IAGTO, said, "The annual golf holiday is the highlight of the golfing year for many of the world's 50 million players, and the IAGTO Awards serves to reward a few exceptional contributions to this world of golf travel.

"Mission Hills China's success is a reward for the resort's continued excellence in delivering a great golfing experience to the golf traveller which is, of course, the ultimate goal for all involved in golf tourism. Each year we recognise the performance of three of the world's leading Golf Resorts, the flagships of our industry and it is a pleasure to list Mission Hills Golf Club in China as one of these".

The IAGTO Award was collected by the Executive Vice President of Mission Hills Group Toby Lam who said: "Golf in China is growing at an extraordinary rate and with the upcoming 2008 Olympics Games, it increases tourism into China, we believe that the country is fast becoming one of the major destinations for international golf tourism.

"Esteemed awards such as this can only help us build the profile of Mission Hills China on an international basis and we are therefore very grateful to IAGTO for recognising our efforts in this way".

China is, without doubt, the new up and coming golf destination. There are currently over 50 million golfers in the world, playing on 30,000 courses and spending in the region of US$26billion per year on golfing holidays and vacations. It is estimated that China's share of this huge market will increase dramatically in the coming years. This year, to recognise this, IAGTO launched its first China Chapter.

Senior executives from Mission Hills China attended the International Golf Travel Market last year and were able to identify considerable business potential within the European market. As a result, the golf club has returned in 2005 as exhibitor with the expectation its efforts be rewarded even more greatly this year with increased interest in the resort as a destination for European and international golfers.

The IAGTO Awards in association with Hertz are the official annual awards for the golf tourism industry. The 2006 gala Awards event took place on the evening of Thursday 8th December 2005 at the Plaza Santa Ana, La Vegueta in Gran Canaria during the International Golf Travel Market.

Mission Hills Resort has also been named the Best Golf Resort in China earlier in the first Business Traveller China Awards, in which it reflects the popularity of the game of golf among the visiting businessmen in China. A total of 32 awards were handed out, including Favourite City in the World (Hong Kong), Best Airport in China (Hong Kong International Airport) and the World (Singapore Changi Airport) etc.

December 9, 2005

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