Hanoi, September 27, 2016:  Adam Sitkoff, the Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hanoi, this week named Mr. Michael Kelly, Executive Chairman of Asian Coast Development Ltd and The Grand Ho Tram as Chairman of its Tourism Committee. Mr. Kelly is a 30 year veteran of the hospitality and casino industry and has extensive experience at the helm of some of the largest gaming and resort companies in North America.

Mr. Kelly said that that he is “honored to work on behalf AMCHAM to help achieve the Prime Minister’s recently stated goal of increasing tourism in Vietnam to 10% of GDP.”

Asian Coast Development Ltd, through its wholly owned subsidiary, the Ho Tram Project Company, is the developer of the Ho Tram Strip, which has over US$1 billion in committed and deployed capital into the nation.  It is the largest US private equity invested project in the nation, the largest foreign invested tourism operation in the nation’s history, and a key driver of the country’s tourism future – a background that makes Mr. Kelly uniquely suited to chair AmCham’s tourism committee.

“Having seen the efforts Michael has made toward developing programs and a tourism offering at Ho Tram that has become one of the nation’s leading drawcards for international visitors, we look forward to drawing on his experience and having him working closely with other American businesses, and forging tighter ties with various regulatory bodies to continue to propel Vietnam’s tourism industry toward Prime Minister Phuc’s goal,” said Mr. Sitkoff. “We could think of no one better to lead this committee than the leader of the largest tourism project in the country.”

Mr. Kelly stated that large events which draw huge international exposure for the country are key to this goal.

“One tremendous example of this was last year’s Ho Tram Open, which was broadcast to over 100 million households around the world, and was the most watched sporting event in Vietnam’s history.  We announced earlier this year that we will be hosting this Asian Tour event again in 2017, and once again drawing the attention of affluent potential visitors to the unique beauty and incredible tourism options that visiting Vietnam presents,” he said.

Mr. Kelly’s appointment to the Committee was formalized at AmCham’s annual networking event, held at The Grand in the presence of Mr. Ted Osius, US Ambassador to Vietnam; and Ms. Mary Tarnowka, the US Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City; along with 80 other members of the US business community.  The complex, which includes a 541 room five – star integrated resort The Grand and The Bluffs the top ranked golf course in Vietnam, and #74 in the World as ranked by Golf Digest – is presently seeing a wave of construction activity that includes a second tower of 559 rooms dubbed The Beach Club, a 1000 key condotel on the site adjacent to The Grand, and 60 golf course villas.  The Ho Tram Strip is set along a 2.2 kilometer beachfront surrounded by natural forest.   It has also recently been announced that the company would like to develop a charter airport to develop tourism to its home province of Ba Ria Vung Tau.

“We believe it is investments like these that are what has positioned us at the fore of Vietnam’s tourism development and at the development of the nation as a destination.   We have continued to roll out new amenities and facilities over the past year that have seen us add everything from retail to our forthcoming waterslide – the five storey Dragon Fall – to provide a drawcard for visitors.  In my new role as Chair of the Tourism Committee, I hope to be able to assist other US companies to do likewise in the years to come,” concluded Mr. Kelly.

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