The Week That Was, october 7, 2018

     Vietnam welcomed 13 million international visitor arrivals last year, a record number, and it’s set out to attract 20 million by 2020. Such traffic has made the nation a hot spot not just for golf construction but also for hotel construction, both of which can be viewed as barometers for the economy in general. In a collection of opinions and predictions packaged by a Vietnamese news service, real-estate professionals generally agree that the nation is “one of the hottest markets for hotel investment in the Asia Pacific” and still has “huge untapped potential.” They warn of hurdles that must be overcome, however, among them “poor tourism infrastructure” (in particular, substandard transportation and unreliable electricity and high-speed internet), a lack of government-sponsored marketing and promotion, and tourism policies that “are not conducive to growth.” All that being said, Jones Lang LaSalle predicts that 118 new hotels will debut in the socialist republic by 2022, a 15 percent increase over the 748 currently in operation.

     It took nearly two decades, but Crossroads Ventures has fended off a parade of environmentalists and other opponents and won permission to build Belleayre Resort at Catskill Park, a four-season community northwest of Kingston, New York. Belleayre, which will corporate both new and existing features, will include ski areas, houses, time-share condos, places to eat and drink, and what Crossroads once promised would be an organic golf course. Years ago, the commission for the course went to Davis Love III, and there’s no reason to suggest that the developers’ plans have changed. Some of Crossroads’ principals are now beyond retirement age, but they still believe that their proposed resort will be “a major catalyst for not just the stabilization but for the revitalization of the area.”

     Pipeline Overflow – Toll Brothers has secured a preliminary approval for a subdivision it wants to build at the long-overdue Prasada (a.k.a. Prasada Lake Village) community in suburban Phoenix, Arizona. The big homebuilder’s plans call for a nine-hole, executive-length golf course that will eventually be stretched to 18 holes, all of them to be created by Nicklaus Design. . . . A Pakistani news service says that a group of Japanese investors has “deep interest” in developing a golf course and related tourist-related attractions in Karachi and Gwadar. Can’t say for sure if their interest will lead to actual construction, but it’s further evidence of the heat that’s being turned up on golf construction in a nation not usually associated with the sport. . . . Details are scanty, but a nine-hole golf course may soon emerge in Meru, the sixth-largest city in Kenya. The Kenya Golf Union expects the track to attract 1,500 members and host one of the nation’s long-running tournaments.

     Pipeline Overflow Overflow – Greg “the Living Brand” Norman’s third golf venue in Vietnam is scheduled to open later this month. The 27-hole complex, KN Golf Links Cam Ranh, will be the centerpiece of KN Paradise, a 2,000-acre resort community outside Cam Ranh, an area along the nation’s southern coast that Norman’s clients claim is “on the cusp of becoming the next great hot spot in Southeast Asia.” The facility’s 18-hole track will reportedly play “hard and fast,” while the nine-hole layout will give the impression of “a tropical Augusta.” . . . Three is also the charm for the Nicklaus empire, which has opened its third course in Russia, all of which are located in Moscow and its suburbs. In a comment published by Golf Course Architecture, Jack Nicklaus said that the 18-hole, Nicklaus Design track at Raevo Golf & Country Club took shape on “a uniquely special piece of property” and will be “natural, playable and memorable.” . . . European Golf Design reports that it’s wrapped up construction on Dubai Hills Golf Club, an 18-hole track that will anchor a “serene, lush lifestyle destination” outside arid Dubai. The community’s developers say that the course, designed by Gary Johnston, will be “one of the key golfing destinations in the Middle East region.”

     Duly Noted – Another year in business, another year of losses for Trump Turnberry: The tony resort in Scotland finished $4.5 million in the red last year, and the Washington Post says its owner, the U.S. president, has so far lost “at least $212 million” on his most prestigious golf venue – $144 million on renovations and operating costs on top of a $67 million purchase price. As in previous years, however, the Trump Organization insists that profits are right around the corner. . . . In its proposal to host this year’s Ryder Cup competition, France promised to grow the game by opening 100 new golf facilities for beginners and time-pressed experienced golfers. Today, the promise is all but realized, as the Independent reports that 93 of the facilities are already in operation. . . . It’s virtually certain that Cuba will fall short of the 5 million international visitors that it hoped to attract this year, but it’s going to come close. Tourism ministers in island nation expect to count 4.8 million foreign visitors, a record number.