Tourexpi
The Philippines is taking a more digital approach to
developing golf tourism. The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines is
supporting the launch of GOLAMAN, a new booking platform designed to make golf
courses across the country easier for international visitors and travel
companies to access.
Scheduled to become fully operational on September 15,
2026, the platform will bring together tee-time reservations at 79 golf courses
in destinations including Metro Manila, Tagaytay, Clark, Subic, Batangas, Cebu
and Davao. The initiative positions golf not simply as a sporting activity, but
as part of a wider travel experience combining landscapes, hospitality and
local destinations.
One platform for 79 golf courses
GOLAMAN was developed through a partnership between
Korean-led Philippine Golf Resort Reservations (PGRR), the Philippine Sports
Commission (PSC) and the National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP).
By consolidating reservations on a single platform,
the partners aim to simplify a process that can otherwise require travellers or
tour operators to deal individually with different golf clubs. This could also
make it easier to incorporate rounds of golf into broader Philippine
itineraries.
“The launch of GOLAMAN is a welcome innovation by
making golf experiences more accessible, convenient, and connected,” said TPB
Chief Operating Officer Maria Margarita Montemayor Nograles.
“It helps showcase our world-class golf courses to key
markets like South Korea, Japan, Taiwan region, Hong Kong SAR, Mainland China,
Malaysia, Australia, and the USA. It also creates new opportunities for local
tour operators and tourism businesses to integrate golf into their travel
offerings.”
Golf tourism targets high-value international markets
For the Philippine tourism industry, golfers represent
an attractive visitor segment because expenditure extends beyond green fees.
Accommodation, restaurants, transport and other tourism services can all
benefit when golf becomes part of a longer holiday itinerary.
“Golf is gaining strong momentum as a tourism product
that attracts visitors who contribute significantly to local communities and
the economy,” Nograles said.
The geographic spread of the 79 participating courses
could also encourage golfers to travel beyond a single destination. While Metro
Manila provides an urban starting point, courses in Tagaytay, Clark, Subic and
Batangas can be combined with regional stays, while Cebu and Davao extend the
concept to other parts of the archipelago.
Part of booking revenue to support young golfers
The initiative also includes a sports development
component. PGRR has pledged to allocate part of its booking revenue to
grassroots golf and training programmes for young Filipino athletes through the
Philippine Sports Commission and the National Golf Association of the
Philippines.
“As we make golf experiences more accessible through
innovations like GOLAMAN, we are not only attracting more visitors; we are
creating more opportunities for communities, businesses, and destinations,”
Nograles said.
This links the development of golf as an international
tourism product with investment in the domestic sporting infrastructure and the
next generation of Filipino players.
TPB plans international promotion
The Tourism Promotions Board intends to incorporate
GOLAMAN into its international marketing activities, digital channels and other
relevant tourism programmes.
The platform is already available as an app for
Android devices through Google Play, with full operations scheduled to begin on
September 15. For TPB, the objective is to turn easier digital access to the
country's golf courses into sustained demand for golf and sports tourism across
the Philippines.
Image Credit: © AI generated illustration
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