Incentive - January 2009 - (Page 53)

TRAVEL been extensively promoted in the U.S. But they have undergone major refurbishment and are now repositioned in the market.” On the continent, Portugal is the most recent hot spot for golf, says Devanney. “There are courses just outside Lisbon and in the Algarve region to the south that rival top U.S. courses.” One Algarve golf resort set to rebrand is the existing Vila Sol Spa & Golf Resort in Vilamoura; it recently became a 239-unit Renaissance property. With 6,000 square feet of meeting space and 27 holes of golf, the resort is 20 minutes from Faro International Airport and a fiveminute drive to the coast. Marriott also has in Portugal the Praia Del Rey Golf Resort, while Ritz-Carlton has a picturesque course at its Penha Longa property, 25 minutes outside Lisbon. In Spain, the latest golf-related development is the Sheraton Bonmont Golf Resort & Spa, a new hotel located in Tar- areas. For instance, within a few hours of Athens, Greece, and 35 minutes from the Kalamata International Airport on the Peloponnese, Starwood has under development the 445-room Westin Navarino Resort and the 288room Romanos Navarino Dunes Resort in the scenic town of Pylos. Both will open in May 2010. The resorts will feature a Bernhard Langer–designed course with sea and river views. A second course on neighboring Navarino Bay, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., is under construction. Throughout Europe, if attendees want a truly local experience and are willing to bring along their own clubs rather than take a chance on securing decent rental sets at the destination, there are many golf opportunities, even around large cities like Rome, Munich and Vienna. For instance, groups using Starwood Luxury Collection’s “Scotland and Ireland are still the fan favorites.” —Kevin Devanney, Incentive Travel Solutions ragona adjacent to the Bonmont Golf Club, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. The resort is scheduled to open in February 2012. On the Mediterranean, the MonteCarlo Country Club is located on the lower slopes of Mont Agel, at 810 meters (2,657 feet) above sea level. The course offers a panoramic view of the Principality of Monaco, the Cote d’Azur, and the Italian Riviera. The Four Seasons Resort Provence has two courses and a David Leadbetter Golf Academy. (An intriguing fact: The land was once owned by Sean Connery, who planned to build a golf course on it, but never got around to it.) Beyond these, however, “Most other countries in Europe still lag behind in terms of what our golf-savvy attendees are used to and what they expect,” says Devanney. But that is changing in some Hotel Imperial or its Hotel Bristol in Vienna occasionally use two well-maintained courses that are just a 40-minute drive from these center-city properties. Asia As for the Far East, China has jumped with both feet into the golf-resort market with the Mission Hills Golf Club. Just 35 minutes from the Hong Kong border crossing and a little more than an hour from casinoresort-heavy Macao, Mission Hills touts itself as the “World’s Largest Golf Resort,” with a whopping 10 courses designed by notable pro golfers. The three-year-old resort has 219 rooms at Mission Hills Resort and another 90 in the adjacent Savannah. There are 35 meeting rooms and three function rooms in the huge Dongguan Clubhouse, plus function rooms within the several other clubhouses. In Thailand, less than three hours south of Bangkok, the Hua Hin region is known as the home of that country’s best golf courses. The Sheraton Hua Hin Resort and Spa opened there in August 2007. This 240-room resort surrounds a unique, 660-foot-long, lagoon-style pool, and offers 8,000 square feet of convention space. Hua Hin and nearby Cha-Am are renowned for their many championship golf courses, endowed as they are with lush vegetation and mountain views. Within 25 minutes of the Sheraton are five courses, including one designed by Jack Nicklaus. In Vietnam, the recently formed Vietnam Golf Association (VGA) markets the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail. Routed north to south through Vietnam, the trail pairs up improved courses with higher-end resorts. “Tourism here is increasing, and golf interest is increasing, so it’s vitally important that the quality of Vietnam’s courses increases with it,” says Thomas Benefield, a member of the association and manager of Kings’ Island Golf Club, comprising two courses 25 miles west of Hanoi. “[American and international] visitors want certain standards, and they want it all to mesh—the lodging, the attractions and the golf. So all of the VGA’s courses will leave no stone unturned. There will be irrigation upgrades for better grass, new sand for the bunkers, and even more will come after that.” In addition to Kings’ Island, golfing stops along the Ho Chi Minh Golf Trail include six other courses in areas of cultural significance. Middle East In the Middle East, Dubai is fast becoming the top name in resort accommodations as well as golf. Most notable is Dubai Golf City, scheduled to open in 2009. The project will comprise five themed signature golf courses, a golf academy, and a five-star resort hotel and spa. Elsewhere in the region, though, Egypt has a fine venue for golf-seekers in the JW Marriott Cairo Golf Resort. Send comments to feedback@incentivemag.com incentivemag.com | January 2009 | Incentive | 53 http://www.incentivemag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Incentive - January 2009

Incentive - January 2009 Contents Editor's Note: Rewards Must Be Sustainable Headlines Cover Story: Responsibility's New Role Incentive Interview: Patrick Lencioni Family Rewards: Who They're Working For Primer: Working Design Leap of Faith: Religion in the Workplace Cook Up Engagement: Kitchen Teambuilding My Turn: Procurement Possibilities Motivation@Work: Hard Times Recognition Legal Ease: The Tax Facts on Corporate Gifts Travel News: Where to Go and What to Do The Bahamas: Islands in the Sun Field Reports: Four European Destinations Golf: Around the World in 18 Holes Potentials Here and Now Watches and Clocks: Strike the Pose Golf Merchandise: Awards with a Solid Swing Computers: Digital Delights Retailers Band Together for Gift Card Market Gift Cards: The Prepaid Reward Spectrum Advertiser Index On the Web www.Incentivemag.com

Incentive - January 2009

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