SINGAPORE, 10 September 2024: Saudia, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, has launched its first direct flight to Medan, Indonesia, marking its second destination in the country after Jakarta.
With four weekly flights scheduled from Jeddah (twice weekly) and Madinah (twice weekly), the new service aligns with Saudia’s commitment to contribute to the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030, particularly those related to serving pilgrims and visitors to the Two Holy Mosques. The Saudi Vision 2023 targets 30 million Umrah pilgrims by 2030.
Photo credit: Saudia. Abdulaziz Ahmed, the Indonesian Ambassador to the Kingdom (5th from left), KSA Sales at Saudia Assistant Vice President Wail Basaffar, and stakeholders attended the event.
Saudia celebrated the inaugural flight to Medan on 31 August with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah. The event was attended by Abdulaziz Ahmed, the Indonesian Ambassador to the Kingdom; KSA Sales at Saudia Assistant Vice President Wail Basaffar; and stakeholders.
Flight SV874 departs Madinah (MED) at 1420 and arrives in Medan (KNO), Indonesia, at 0325. The direct flights depart on Wednesday and Saturday using a Boeing 777-200/300.
Flight SV877 departs Medan at 0730 and arrives in Madinah at 1155. The flight time is approximately nine hours and five minutes.
Saudia’s international operations are continuously evolving to expand its market share and set new benchmarks for guest transportation for tourists, visitors, and pilgrims.
Saudia’s fleet of 144 aircraft plays a crucial role in supporting these efforts. The airline pledges to increase the volume of transit traffic between continents via the Kingdom, a key pillar of its strategic vision.
HO CHI MINH CITY, 10 September 2024: Qatar Airways won two accolades — the ‘World’s Best MICE Airline 2024’ and ‘Middle East’s Best MICE Airline 2024’ — at the World MICE Awards held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam last week.
The World MICE Awards™ honour industry leaders for furthering global Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism, otherwise known as “business events”. This is the second consecutive year Qatar Airways won this recognition.
Photo credit: Qatar Airways.
Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer Thierry Antinori, said: “Qatar Airways is proud to have received the World’s Best MICE Airline and Middle East’s Best MICE Airline 2024 awards for the second year.
“This recognition serves as a testament to our efforts in advancing the global MICE industry through our one-stop digital travel solution, QMICE, which offers exclusive fares, significant travel flexibility and exclusive benefits for MICE professionals.”
QMICE, along with the award-winning service, business class Qsuite, and Qsuite Next Gen, offers a stylish and convenient travel experience to over 170 destinations through the airline’s five-star award-winning hub, Hamad International Airport, which supports Doha as a leading venue for MICE.
SINGAPORE, 10 September 2024: Polish eSky Group acquires one of the most recognisable names in travel — Thomas Cook.
The acquisition agreement signed with the Chinese Fosun Tourism Group will unlock significant growth opportunities for Thomas Cook and allow eSky to strengthen its position in Western Europe.
Photo credit Thomas Cook: New Business, Same Sunny Heart.
Thomas Cook, the oldest travel brand, confirmed it has been acquired by Polish eSky Group, owner of a leading travel platform in Central and Eastern Europe. The deal will provide Thomas Cook with access to eSky’s superior flight inventory and support its continued growth. This, in turn, will pave the way for eSky to enter one of the most developed markets in Western Europe.
eSky Group has become the dominant travel platform in the CEE region and has expanded worldwide over the years.
eSky and eDestinos brands operate in 50+ countries across Europe, the Americas, and Africa. Over 150 million customers access 550 airlines globally and 1.3 million hotels. eSky Group’s 2023 profits surpassed EUR 19 million — up 42% YoY and nearly three times the level of 2019.
“The synergy of Thomas Cook’s brand heritage with our technology will drive Thomas Cook’s growth and allow us to strengthen eSky’s position in Western Europe. This acquisition is part of our strategy to diversify from just selling flights to offering package holidays across our existing markets in Europe and Latin America and expand further into Western Europe,” says eSky Group CEO Łukasz Habaj.
“The completion of this transaction will inject significant funding into our business as we rebuild the brand and accelerate the growth of this company. By combining the strength of our dynamic packaging technology and holiday know-how with the flight inventory, performance marketing and technical strength of eSky, we are confident we will create a formidable European travel business,” adds Thomas Cook Tourism’s CEO Alan French.
Since 2022, eSky has been heavily investing in City Break and Holiday packages, which are a cornerstone of its business transformation from a flight platform into a Virtual Tour Operator. eSky Group has over 800 employees—including an in-house development team of over 190 people— and is part-owned by the listed private equity fund MCI.
Euro News reported that the Polish travel group eSky agreed to buy Thomas Cook, the world’s oldest travel brand, from its current Chinese owner, Fosun, for UKP30 million (EUR35.6 million).
“The online travel agency business in the UK…does not align with the core competencies and strategic focus of the group,” said Fosun in a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The sale does not include Thomas Cook’s business in China.
Thomas Cook, a travel company founded in the UK in 1841, fell into insolvency in 2019 after failing to clear a debt burden of UKP1.1 billion.
The deal does not involve Thomas Cook India and affiliated companies in Asia, such as Asian Trails, headquartered in Thailand, with offices and registered affiliated companies in Southeast Asia.
The Thomas Cook collapse led to chaos in the travel industry and triggered the biggest peacetime repatriation in the UK’s history. The British government helped organise return trips for more than 150,000 holidaymakers who were stranded overseas.
Later, in 2019, the firm was acquired by its biggest shareholder, Chinese conglomerate Fosun, for UKP11 million (EUR13.06 million).
Thomas Cook was relaunched in 2020 as an online-only service, while UK competitor Hays Travel acquired about 550 of its physical outlets. Since then, the struggling travel company has been on the road to recovery, with CEO Alan French predicting a full-year profit for 2024.
In 2023, Thomas Cook recorded a pre-tax loss of UK3.6 million (EUR4.3m), down from last year’s UKP13.5 million (EUR16.0 million) loss.
BANGKOK, 10 September 2024: Thai AirAsia X (XJ) headlines its move back to Don Mueang Airport on 1 October 2024 with the “Hello Don Mueang” promotion.
It enables guests to fly direct from Don Mueang to its seven destinations of Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Seoul, Shanghai and Sydney with all-in fares from only THB3,490* one way.
Promotional fares are available for booking until 15 September 2024 for travel from 1 October 2024 to 31 March 2025. Guests can also opt for the FlyThru service to connect from Chiang Mai, Krabi, Phuket and many other AirAsia domestic and international destinations.
The relocation of all Thai AirAsia X services from Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) to Don Mueang Airport (DMK) will present seamless connections through the extensive Thai AirAsia network and other AirAsia Group airlines, offering flights throughout Thailand and internationally to China, India and ASEAN.
Thai AirAsia CEO Tassapon Bijleveld said: “Thai AirAsia X guests will definitely find our relocation to Don Mueang a perfect move as it provides for greater convenience and seamlessness to connect to city as well to other AirAsia destinations in Thailand and across the region.”
From 1 October 2024, guests with Thai AirAsia X (XJ) bookings will have their flights automatically moved to Don Mueang Airport.
Thai AirAsia X currently operates a fleet of eight Airbus A330 aircraft, and it plans to extend the number to 11 within this year before receiving three to five additional planes in the following years, in line with growth and demand projections. The carrier presently operates seven routes from Bangkok, flying to Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, and Nagoya in Japan, Seoul in South Korea, Shanghai in China, and Sydney in Australia.
**Thai AirAsia (FD) flights from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi and Hat Yai, as well as Suvarnabhumi-Kuala Lumpur (D7) will continue to be served from Suvarnabhumi Airport** *This promotion is exclusive to XJ flights (flight frequencies may differ by week). It has limited availability and may not be available on certain flights or during holidays. Ticket prices exclude auxiliary services and other fees. The displayed price is the lowest available when booking via airasia.com or the mobile app.
BANGKOK, 9 September 2024: The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and Rajadamnern Stadium staged the second round of the “Amazing Muay Thai Road to Rajadamnern 2024” at the Melbourne Pavilion in Melbourne, Australia, on 31 August 2024.
According to the TAT press statement, the event formed part of the “Ignite Thailand’s Tourism” vision to “elevate Thai soft powers globally.”
HE Tessa Sullivan, Honorary Consul for Thailand in Melbourne, together with Nithee Seeprae, TAT Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications, Parichart Boonclai, TAT Executive Director of the Marketing Services Department, and Thainchai Pisitwuttinan, President of Rajadamnern World Series (RWS) and Board Director of Rajadamnern Stadium presided over the event.
“Witnessing the world-famous martial art of Muay Thai is one of the reasons why tourists visit Thailand to experience the sport in its country of origin,” said Nithee Seeprae, TAT Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications. “For Muay Thai fighters, the Amazing Muay Thai Road to Rajadamnern 2024 offers them a unique experience and a chance to compete in the final round at the famous Rajadamnern Stadium.”
Renowned as the world’s first Muay Thai stadium, Rajadamnern Stadium is revered as a sacred ground for Muay Thai. It is a place where champions are made, and legends are born. Many Muay Thai fighters vie for a chance to fight at this iconic venue.
The winner of the four special fights held at the Melbourne Pavilion won the right to compete in the final round at Rajadamnern Stadium on 20 December. The much-anticipated event will comprise four thrilling matches between Muay Thai rising stars from the three preliminary rounds in Cádiz, Spain (27 July); Melbourne, Australia (31 August); and Prague, the Czech Republic (30 November).
To add to the exhilarating atmosphere, TAT staged the ‘Thai Festival’ at the same venue to inspire Australians and visitors alike to visit Thailand through a showcase of Thai soft powers, including food, fashion, fights, and festivals. The event attracted over 1,500 spectators.
Nithee commented: “Apart from the Muay Thai fights, spectators were treated to Thai food and cultural performances plus the opportunity to shop for Thai fabric and special Muay Thai products. With the theme of Loi Krathong festival, visitors had a chance to float the Krathong and enjoyed the ‘Five Must-Do’ things, which portrayed the vast scope of opportunities for unique travel experiences in Thailand.”
KUALA LUMPUR, 9 September 2024: The Sarawak Tourism Board and Sabah Tourism Board officially launched their collaborative campaign, ‘Discover Borneo: Malaysia’s Favourite Destination,’ during the MATTA Fair Kuala Lumpur 2024, held from 6 to 8 September at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre.
The campaign launch was honoured by the presence of YB Dato Sri Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Sarawak’s Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry & Performing Arts, and YB Datuk Christina Liew, Sabah’s Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Environment.
The partnership between the two states seeks to promote Borneo as a unified destination with Sarawak and Sabah’s international airports, the ‘Gateway to Borneo’.
Sarawak aims to attract 4 million visitors in 2024, equally split between foreign and domestic travellers. By July, the state had already welcomed 2,838,572 visitors, comprising 1,763,815 international and 1,074,757 domestic visitors.
YB Dato Sri Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah remarked that “Sarawak’s collaboration with the Sabah Tourism Board is not just about promoting tourism; it is about sharing the heart and soul of Borneo with the world. Together, we create a compelling narrative that positions Borneo as Malaysia’s Favourite Destination, captivating the hearts of travellers from Peninsular Malaysia and beyond.”
The collaborative pavilion at the MATTA Fair KL served as a focal point for presenting both states’ diverse arts, culture, food, and beverages. This strategic partnership aims to enhance the appeal of Borneo as a singular destination, making travel between Sarawak and Sabah more accessible and showcasing the richness of Borneo’s offerings.
The success of this initiative is evident in the strong performance at previous MATTA Fair events. During the March 2024 fair, Sarawak’s impressive sales contributed significantly to a substantial domestic sales turnover, showcasing the robust potential for growth in domestic tourism.
With over 170,000 attendees and a total sales figure exceeding expectations, the MATTA Fair underscores the increasing demand and opportunities to promote Sarawak and Sabah as the Gateway to Borneo.
The ‘Discover Borneo: Malaysia’s Favourite Destination’ campaign strategically positioned Borneo as a premier global tourism destination by highlighting Sarawak and Sabah’s complementary attractions.
MANILA, 9 September 2024: The Philippines took home a hat full of citations at the 31st World Travel Awards Asia & Oceania Gala Ceremony hosted in Manila on 3 September.
This is the first time the country has hosted the prestigious travel and tourism awards gala ceremony through the combined efforts of the Department of Tourism and its attached agency, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines.
DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco.
During the 31st World Travel Awards Asia & Oceania Gala Ceremony 2024 hosted at Manila’s City of Dreams, the Philippines was honoured as Asia’s Leading Dive Destination for the sixth consecutive year since 2019.
It bagged the titles of Asia’s Leading Beach Destination and Asia’s Leading Island Destination.
The historic Walled City of Intramuros was recognised as Asia’s Leading Tourist Attraction. Boracay nailed the title of Asia’s Leading Luxury Island Destination, and Cebu was declared Asia’s Leading Wedding Destination.
The Philippines also bagged the Asia’s Leading Marketing Campaign 2024 award for the Love the Philippines campaign.
A Transformational Leader Award was presented to DOT Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, recognising the tourism chief for her “outstanding contributions to tourism governance” and vision, tireless dedication, and the tangible impacts of her initiatives have set a new benchmark in tourism leadership, not just in the Philippines but across Asia and Oceania.”
“We have responded to the challenges we have faced with courage and innovation, harnessing the strength of our culture and heritage and turning them into unique, unforgettable experiences. Through diversification, we are now expanding to new horizons, enhancing and expanding our offerings beyond sun, sea, and sand to include wellness and health, adventure, cruise, halal, cultural, and culinary experiences,” the DOT chief commented.
Established in 1993, the World Travel Awards span the globe, with regional gala ceremonies staged to recognise and celebrate individual and collective success within each key geographical region.
Manila hosted the gala ceremony, marking the fourth leg of WTA’s Grand Tour 2024, a global search for the finest travel and tourism organisations on six continents.
BANGKOK, 9 September 2024: A combination of Champions League, Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A winners will descend on Bangkok for the inaugural ‘Reignwood Icons of Football’ golf event from 1 to 2 March 2025.
Organised by the ‘Icons Series’, Robinswood Golf Course will host 24 famous footballers to battle it out over 10 holes as Team England and Team World for the 2025 Icons Trophy. Early bird ticket sales (THB500) for the event opened on 2 September 2024
Having chosen Bangkok as the first destination in Asia to host an Icons Series event, Reignwood Icons of Football will promote Thailand as a world-class golfing destination.
Reignwood Group CEO Woraphanit Ruayrungruang commented: “Reignwood Park is continuously promoting the potential of sports and sports tourism in Thailand to develop it into a hub for various sports, particularly golf. Our collaboration with Icons Series introduces an unprecedented Asian event featuring 24 of the world’s most iconic football players.”
The two teams of 12 will be captained by two famous golfers, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood. They will bring their years of rivalry from pitch to green across a 10-hole format of the highest drama, where every shot counts.
Team England – Initial Line Up
Captained by Lee Westwood Paul Ince Robbie Fowler Joe Hart Theo Walcott Paul Scholes
Team World – Initial Line Up
Captained by Sergio Garcia Dwight Yorke Patrik Berger Gabriel Batistuta Luís Figo Peter Schmeichel
The final seven players on each side will be revealed in the build-up to the event.
Set across two days on the championship Robinswood Golf Course, team captains will manage players in a series of competitive team matchplay format events, including Alternate Shots, Fourballs, and Singles matches to determine the winning team.
HO CHI MINH CITY, 9 September 2024 – As part of ongoing efforts to promote Malaysia as a preferred tourist destination, Tourism Malaysia exhibited at the International Travel Expo (ITE) Ho Chi Minh City, held from 5 to 7 September 2024.
In a press statement, Tourism Malaysia said, “ ITE HCMC 2024 served as an excellent platform for Malaysia to showcase Malaysia’s unique tourism offerings and engage with both potential and returning travellers… In addition, Tourism Malaysia strengthened its partnerships with major tour operators and associations in Ho Chi Minh City to craft enticing tourism packages tailored to the preferences and interests of the Vietnamese market.”
Malaysia’s booth featured sales and marketing teams from the Malaysia Homestay Entrepreneurs Association, Kampungstay Holiday, Myhistourism Adventure and Melaka State Government.
“Vietjet Air operates daily direct flights from Vietnam to Malaysia, further solidifying the bonds between our two nations,” said Tourism Malaysia in Vietnam’s director Nor Hayati Zainuddin. “Vietnam remains a key source market for Malaysia. It is crucial to maintain robust promotional initiatives to attract more Vietnamese tourists, especially with the new direct flights from Vietnam to Malaysia, including Danang to Kuala Lumpur by Malaysia Airlines and the forthcoming routes from Dalat to Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City to Kota Kinabalu by AirAsia. These initiatives will play a significant role in the success of Visit Malaysia 2026.”
In conjunction with Malaysia’s participation in ITE HCMC 2024, Tourism Malaysia will also host food and cultural promotions to showcase the richness of Malaysian cuisine and culture. These events will be held at venues such as Daewoo Hanoi Hotel from 12 to 16 September in Hanoi, Sheraton Saigon Grand Opera Hotel from 6 to 10 September, and Equatorial Ho Chi Minh City Hotel from 11 to 16 September in Ho Chi Minh City.
Malaysia aims to attract 27.3 million international tourists in 2024, with an expected contribution of MYR102.7 billion (USD22.82 billion) in tourism revenue. Currently, 142 direct flights operate between Vietnam and Malaysia, and Tourism Malaysia anticipates significant growth in the ASEAN market, including Vietnam.
Looking ahead, the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign exemplifies this ambition, with a target of attracting 35.6 million foreign tourists and generating m147.1 billion in tourist receipts.
HONG KONG, 9 September 2024: Hotel bookings from Chinese travellers to Thailand and Malaysia experienced remarkable triple-digit year-over-year growth, DidaTravel disclosed in its 2024 half-year business data released Sunday.
Thailand saw a substantial increase of 340% compared to the previous year, while Malaysia witnessed a surge of 780%.
DidaTravel made the observations while hosting a series of B2B roadshows and networking events in Beijing on 3 September and Shanghai on 5 September that aimed to build a bridge between travel agents and hoteliers to seize new booking opportunities.
DidaTravel, a tech-driven global travel wholesaler, confirmed a substantial growth in booking demand for Thailand and Malaysia, fueled by a surge from the China source market.
In the first half of 2024, hotel bookings from Chinese travellers visiting Thailand rose by an impressive 340% compared to the same period in the previous year. Likewise, hotel bookings from the Chinese source market for travellers visiting Malaysia surged by 780% during the first six months of 2024. These numbers underscore Chinese travellers’ rising interest and confidence in these Southeast Asian destinations.
In Thailand, Chinese visitors prefer booking trips to Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket, Karon, Patong, Chiang Mai, Krabi, Koh Samui, Bang Phli, and Hat Yai.
Malaysia’s most sought-after destinations include Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Penang, Johor Bahru, Semporna, Langkawi, Malacca, Petaling Jaya, Sepang, and Ipoh.
DidaTravel Senior Director Hotel Direct Contracting Global, Snow Xiao commented: “The surge in bookings to Thailand and Malaysia highlights the growing enthusiasm of Chinese source market travellers in these destinations. We are dedicated to equipping our partners with the necessary resources to harness this demand. Our events in Beijing and Shanghai reflected our commitment to fostering strong, lasting relationships between travel agencies and hoteliers. By enabling direct communication and collaboration, we aim to help our partners deliver exceptional, customised experiences that meet the evolving needs of today’s travellers.”
