BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — As the government seeks to promote golf tourism, the Department of Tourism initiated a Golf Product Update at Camp John Hay in Baguio.
DOT Golf Tourism Office Director Lyle Uy, along with DOT Cordillera Regional Director Jovita Ganongan, met with stakeholders from the Camp John Hay hotels and Camp John Hay Golf for the Golf Product Update of Camp John Hay, which recently opened to the public.
Uy said Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco is seeking to position the Philippines as the next premier destination for golfers. The recent developments at Camp John Hay and its opening to the public are seen as an opportunity for the DOT to partner and promote golf tourism in the country, starting in Baguio.
Part of the product update included a tour and inspection of the hotel rooms and other amenities and facilities of the Camp John Hay hotels, the former Manor Hotel and Forest Lodge.
John Hay Golf Management Inc., headed by President Eduardo “Bong” Arguelles, provided an exclusive tour of their golf fairways, including the driving range and the clubhouse, and presented value-added options for golf packages.
The DOT team was joined by national and local tour operators, including the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies, Philippine Tour Operators Association Inc. and the Association of Travel and Tours Management in the Cordilleras, who explored potential partnerships.
Ganongan thanked the Camp John Hay management of the hotels and the golf club for the opportunity to explore potential partnerships for the promotion of tourism and golf in Baguio, nationally and internationally. She encouraged the tour operators to create unique golf tourism packages integrating what Baguio and the Cordillera region have to offer, such as food, creative and wellness tours, and other tourism packages.
The Camp John Hay golf course, which is said to be one of the finest golf courses in the country, was recently opened to the public under the management of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.
The Camp John Hay golf course, along with that of the Baguio Country Club, are the venues of the annual Januarius Fil-Am Invitational golf tournament.**JDP/ with Trisha Cabico-PIA-SLU Intern
