[Ljubljana, Slovenia – 19 October 2018] Mission Hills Haikou in China has been named Asia Pacific Golf Resort of the Year by IAGTO, the world’s leading golf tourism organization.  The result of a vote by more than 600 international golf tour operators was announced at the prestigious IAGTO Awards ceremony in Slovenia during the International Golf Travel Market (IGTM).

Mission Hills Haikou is part of the Mission Hills Group which also owns and operates Mission Hills Shenzhen in southern China, named ‘Golf Resort of the Year – Rest of the World’ by IAGTO in 2006.  Together, the fully-integrated luxury resorts span a total of 40 square kilometers and 22 golf courses, making Mission Hills the largest golf facility in the world.

Tenniel Chu, Vice-Chairman of the Mission Hills Group was in Slovenia to collect the award:

“2018 has been significant for Hainan with a number of reforms announced to further boost the province as an International Tourism Island.  This includes visa-free entry for 59 countries which is more great news for golf tourism on the tropical island known as China’s Hawaii.

“Mission Hills itself has also had another memorable year.  Not only do we continue to provide world-class golf across 10 championship courses in Haikou – all of them public – but we also strive to offer golfers the very best for relaxation and recovery, including our world-record 168 volcanic mineral springs, our luxury spas and our five-star dining experiences.  For those who are more adventurous, we opened China’s first Wet’n’Wild theme park this year with 30 iconic slides, pools and attractions, operated by Australia’s Village Roadshow.

“This recognition from IAGTO is a great honour.  Since my late father founded Mission Hills in 1992 our family’s vision has been to bring China to the world and the world to China.  Thanks to the loyalty and support of IAGTO members for more than two decades, together we have been able to turn this dream into a reality.”

Located close to Hainan’s capital city, Mission Hills Haikou is recognized by the Guinness Records as the world’s largest public golf facility with 10 courses, including the flagship Blackstone Course, host to historic championships including two World Cups, six World Ladies Championships, four World Celebrity Pro-Ams and the Match at Mission Hills between Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in 2013.

The Blackstone Course at Mission Hills Haikou recently entered Golf Digest's 100 Greatest Golf Courses for the first time at number 48.