A CONVERSATION WITH MARK SIEGEL AT GOLFASIAN
This edition’s International Road Trip is a focus on one of my long-time favorite golf tourism destinations — SE Asia. Past editions, reaching back a dozen years or so, have highlighted the region’s emerging markets in both golf and casino gaming.
As the gaming and leisure markets in SE Asia were really starting to boom, the global tourism market was hit hard by the global Covid pandemic.
In this edition, we have a conversation with Mark Siegel, founder and CEO of Golfasian, the leading golf tour operator in SE Asia. In our discussion we cover issues relating to the rebound of golf and tourism in SE Asia since the pandemic. We also cover the impact of the growing casino gaming market in the region, and the much-anticipated acceptance of casino gaming in Thailand, and its impact on regional golf tourism.
G&L: Five years out from the Covid pandemic, how do today’s state-of-play numbers in SE Asia compare to the years before the pandemic? Have the number of rounds rebounded to pre-pandemic levels?
MS: Yes, we’ve seen a strong rebound in golf across Southeast Asia. In many cases, rounds have not only returned to prepandemic levels but have also exceeded them. Destinations like Thailand and Vietnam are back in full swing, with specific courses seeing record bookings, especially during the last two years’ peak seasons. The pandemic gave people a renewed appreciation for travel and outdoor experiences, and golf is at the intersection of both.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE BY BILL HEALEY IN THE FALL 2025 EDITION OF GAMING & LEISURE MAGAZINE.