Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia was conferred ‘Asia’s Best Golf Destination 2014’ award at the inaugural World Golf Awards 2014, held at the Conrad Algarve Hotel, Portugal, on November 15.
 
Riding on a global initiative to recognise, reward and celebrate excellence in the golf hospitality industry, the event also saw The Els Club Teluk Datai, Langkawi being awarded as the World’s Best New Golf Course. 

Responding to these wins by Malaysia, the Minister of Tourism and Culture, YB Dato’ Sri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said, “We are pleased to receive these recognitions. The awards motivate us to strengthen our effort to promote Malaysia as a popular year-round golf destination. This achievement also signifies the result of our National Key Economic Areas (NKEA) initiative under the Entry Point Project 9B (EPP9b), which identified golfing as a focal activity for the future growth of quality tourism. We sincerely hope that more golfers from all over the world will discover the value and experience of golfing in Malaysia.” 

“Being named as the Best Asia Golf Destination at World Golf Award is indeed a great accomplishment and a befitting accolade,” said Tan Sri Mohd Anwar Mohd Nor, President of the Malaysian Golf Association. “This award is a result of our Government’s ongoing effort to promote Malaysia as the world’s best golfing destination. With a strong commitment from The Government of Malaysia — our local golf industry will continue to grow and flourish. I would like to personally congratulate the Honourable Tourism and Culture Minister and his team for this achievement.”

Meanwhile, the Malaysia Golf Tourism Association (MGTA) President Mr. Ng Eu Shen expressed his pride over the international achievements and felt truly happy over the awards won by local golf industry players as winners are active MGTA members.

He said, “We wouldn’t have been able to achieve this without the continuous support by Tourism Malaysia in promoting Malaysia as a golf destination. These awards are a recognition of Malaysia’s excellent development in the golf industry, its top-notch services and facilities and cooperation from the private sector.”
 
Malaysia, the land of diverse attractions, is a veritable paradise for golfers offering a choice of over 200 golf courses and that are open all-year long. Last year, golf tourism receipts surpassed RM300 million compared to RM296 million in 2012. The target for this year is to reach RM310 million. 

World Golf Awards

World Golf Awards serves to celebrate and reward excellence in golf tourism, world class courses and golf destinations. World Golf Awards is part of World Travel Awards, currently celebrating its 21st anniversary as “the Oscars of the travel industry”. 
 
The worldwide voting process for 2014 began on 20 June 2014 and closed on 2 October 2014. Votes were made by professionals working within the golf travel and tourism industry – senior executives, travel buyers, tour operators, agents and media professionals. Votes were also cast by the public (golf tourism consumers). The voting works on a first-past-the-post system to ensure impartiality and independence. Votes were submitted online via the World Golf Awards website. Source: traveldailynews