Chu Family Honoured with Legacy Award from IAGTO

The Chu family, owners and operators of Mission Hills Group, have been honoured with a special Legacy Award by the golf tourism industry.

The award, from the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO), recognises their work in building Mission Hills into one of Asia’s premier golf and leisure destinations and putting China firmly on the global golfing map.

The presentation was made at the inaugural IAGTO Excellence Awards staged at Mission Hills Haikou on the tropical island of Hainan, China.

The award, shaped like a double helix, bears the inscription “Golf in their DNA” and was received by Mission Hills Group Vice Chairman Mr Tenniel Chu at a gala dinner attended by 600 golf industry professionals from all over the world.

Tenniel and his older brother, Mission Hills Group Chairman and CEO Dr Ken Chu, are continuing to build on the achievements of their late father, Hong Kong-born industrialist and visionary Dr David Chu, who first established the Group more than 20 years ago.

Announcing the award, IAGTO Chief Executive Peter Walton told guests, “In recognition of their pioneering vision and leadership, for quite simply putting China on the map as a golf destination, and for their continued dedication to shape its future and secure its destiny, it gives me enormous pleasure to present the inaugural IAGTO Legacy Award not to just one individual but to a truly remarkable family.”

Staged during the third annual IAGTO Asia Golf Tourism Convention, the IAGTO Excellence Awards recognise the vision and contribution of golf tourism leaders as well as the outstanding achievements of golf courses in the Asia Pacific region.

They form a new addition to the prestigious annual IAGTO Awards, which are held each year at the end of the International Golf Travel Market.

The IAGTO Legacy Award has been designed as an occasional award, presented only to individuals who have made the greatest impact in the world of golf tourism. The Chu Family are the first recipients of the honour.

In his acceptance speech, Mr Tenniel Chu said, “I am deeply honoured and humbled to accept this award on behalf of the Chu family. Mission Hills has been fortunate enough to receive many accolades but when, as a family, we are recognised by our peers in the golf industry, it is truly special. Of course, this award belongs primarily to the late Dr David Chu, our father. Golf’s phenomenal growth in modern China is due primarily to his incredible drive, passion and ambition. He was a visionary. The more people doubted him, the more he believed. The more people laughed at him, the harder he worked. And his dream lives on in the Chu Family. There is never a day when we don’t think of him and what he achieved. His memory drives us on and is the reason Mission Hills will never stand still. I would like to thank IAGTO for this Legacy Award and the many people who work so hard to make Mission Hills the special place it is. But most of all, I would like to thank, with all my heart, one man. Dad, this is for you!”

Mission Hills Group operates two giant resorts. Mission Hills Shenzhen-Dongguan in southern mainland China is officially “The World’s Biggest Golf Club” with 12 courses. Mission Hills Haikou has 10 courses and is “The World’s Biggest Spa Resort” with more than 160 mineral spring pools.

The Group is also undertaking huge development projects at both sites with new hotels, shopping malls and entertainment districts.