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Tourism Malaysia on a mission in India

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TTR WEEKLY
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BENGALURU, India, 15 February 2024: Tourism Malaysia is intensifying its promotional strategies to reach Indian travellers through several tourism trade shows and expos, such as the South Asia Travel & Tourism Exchange (SATTE) in New Delhi, which will convene from 22 to 24 February.

The latest round of promotions follows attendance at the recent Outbound Travel Mart (OTM) held in Mumbai from 8 to 10 February 2024.

Photo credit: Tourism Malaysia. Malaysia’s tourism team was on a mission at the recent OTM travel show in Mumbai and then on to SATTE from 22 to 24 February in New Delhi.

Before attending SATTE on 22 February, Tourism Malaysia hosted a Food and Culture promotional event in Mumbai from 5 to 11 February, while the Tourism Malaysia team attended the OTM in Mumbai. Building on the success of that event, Tourism Malaysia is now orchestrating a sales mission across five main cities in India — Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and Ahmedabad, culminating in New Delhi on 22 February on the eve of the SATTE travel show’s grand opening.

The mission leaders are Razaidi Abdul Rahim, director of Tourism Malaysia Chennai; Noriah Jaafar, director of Tourism Malaysia, Mumbai; and Akmal Aziz, deputy director of Tourism Malaysia, New Delhi. Joining the mission are 45 organisations. They comprise two state tourism bodies, three airlines, 14 hotel and resort operators, 19 travel agents, six product owners, the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) and an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia.

This B2B event brings together Malaysian sellers of tourism products and services to interact with Indian counterparts to strengthen networking and cultivate business opportunities. Besides the business matching sessions at SATTE, Tourism Malaysia will lead seminars and product presentations focusing on leisure and niche tourism markets such as meeting & incentives groups (MICE), weddings, golfing, and family fun activities. The sales mission should reach 500 travel agents and tour operators in the respective cities.

India is a significant priority market for Malaysia, with strong economic ties and cultural connections. India is Malaysia’s fifth largest source of tourists. Malaysia recorded 17.8 million tourist arrivals between January and November 2023, with 587,703 from India. Regarding air accessibility, 181 flights with 33,851 seats are offered weekly between India and Malaysia through Malaysia Airlines, Batik Air, AirAsia, and IndiGo.

This mission also promotes the recent waiver of the entry visa for Indians visiting Malaysia for stays of up to 30 days. The concession began on 1 December 2023 and is until 31 December 2024. 

Moxy brand arrives in Putrajaya

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TTR WEEKLY
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PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia 14 February 2024:Moxy Hotels, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio, soft opens the Moxy Putrajaya, marking the brand’s debut in Malaysia. 

Located in Putrajaya, the administrative capital of Malaysia and famed for its late-20th-century architecture, Moxy Putrajaya stands out as a cultural hub situated steps away from IOI City Mall, Southeast Asia’s retail giant. The 480-room Moxy Putrajaya has meeting facilities, a fitness centre, an all-day restaurant serving Malaysian and international dishes, and a Sky Bar on Level 18.
Kumar Renoo is the cluster general manager for the Moxy Putrajaya.

Charters line up to visit Langkawi

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TTR WEEKLY
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LANGKAWI, 14 February 2024: Langkawi’s tourism community welcomed 155 visitors from Chongqing in China who joined the first of two Batik Air charter flights on Sunday.

It followed an earlier inaugural for a Batik Air charter series from Chengdu in China Air and the start of scheduled flights from Dubai on Flydubai.

Photo credit: LADA.

The Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) secured the latest charter series from Chongqing, as part of a project to create attractive incentive packages to encourage more direct international flights from key source markets such as China. The first charter flight from Chongqing, China, to Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia, arrived on Sunday, 11 February. Batik Air will follow up with a second charter to meet demand during the peak holiday season.

LADA said it is committed to attracting special charter flights with incentives for airlines organising charter flights in cooperation with online travel agencies in various Asian source market countries. LADA also provides additional incentives to airlines that establish direct flights to Langkawi if they can offer a flight schedule for at least one year and the city, where the flights originate, does not have an airline route to the Malaysian island destination.

Tuan Wan Kamarul Faisal Wan Kamardin, LADA’s deputy CEO for planning and development hosted the welcome reception on Sunday, joined by  Tuan Haji Zulkifli Bin Abdullah, assistant chief district officer, Tuan Che Sulaiman Che Pa, manager of Langkawi International Airport, LADA officials, the Batik Air team, MAHB staff, related government agencies and Langkawi tourism industry players. Traditional Malay cultural performances welcomed the inaugural flight.

Charters from Chengdu China
Just a day earlier, Langkawi welcomed 178 tourists from Chengdu on the year’s first charter flight from Chengdu, China. The direct flight is part of an ongoing charter series featuring Langkawi, Malaysia. It involves eight charter flights to Langkawi, bringing in an estimated 1,480 visitors, the Langkawi Development Authority reported. Flights originate in Chengdu, the capital of southwestern China’s Sichuan province.

New flights from Dubai
Langkawi Development Board (LADA) rolled out the red carpet for the inaugural Flydubai flight to Langkawi over the weekend, marking the introduction of daily service from Dubai. The new service departs from Terminal 2, Dubai International Airport (DXB), UAE, with a stop in Penang International Airport (PEN) for a one-hour stopover before flying to Langkawi International Airport (LGK). 

For more information on the destination Langkawi, visit https://naturallylangkawi.my/
(Source: https://www.lada.gov.my/en/)

Love is all around when flying Emirates

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TTR WEEKLY
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DUBAI, 14 February 2024: Love is all around at Emirates; customers are treated to Valentine’s Day-themed cakes and chocolates on board, a range of decadent pink desserts in Emirates lounges, romantic rosé champagne, tempting gifts on EmiratesRED and an array of mood-setting movies and music inflight.

On Valentine’s Day, Emirates customers in all classes will be treated to luscious brownies or mini red velvet cupcakes adorned with hearts in a mini gift box while red mood lighting lights up the aircraft. The A380 Onboard Lounges will be serving pink and red love cupcakes, and first-class customers will be welcomed onboard with a glass of Dom Pérignon Rosé 2008, and business-class customers with Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial.

Love is in the air, too, onboard Emirates ice, as customers snuggle up to feel-good movies, like the critically acclaimed romantic drama ‘Past Lives’ starring Greta Lee and Teo Yoo, nominated for two 2024 Academy Awards® including Best Picture. More than 90 romantic comedies and dramas are available, including new releases like ‘Craft Me a Romance’ and ‘Ageless Love’ and all-time classics ‘When Harry Met Sally’, ‘The Way We Were’ and ‘The Notebook’.

Seductive soundtracks are already curated onboard ice with the ‘Romantic Moments’ playlist, a handpicked selection of classic love songs featuring Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Ed Sheeran, Diana Ross, Roberta Flack and many more. Before a flight, passengers can even browse and pre-select their movies, TV shows or music playlists on the Emirates app, which can be synced to ice from the moment of boarding.

In the Emirates Lounges of Dubai, after delicious à la carte and buffet appetisers and main courses, First Class customers can indulge in a dessert of passionfruit pavlova with Chantilly cream and an array of red-hued mocktails and cocktails. In contrast, business class customers can spoil themselves with a lemon Valentine’s verbena cake, strawberry and yuzu Valentine’s tartlet or a fragrant hibiscus, strawberry, and almond mousse. First and business-class passengers can visit Emirates’ dedicated old-fashioned ice cream cart to enjoy homemade strawberry cheesecake ice cream, raspberry, and rose sorbet. The complimentary Costa Coffee café in the lounges will serve heart-shaped doughnuts and chocolates, while Dilmah’s Valentine’s iced tea is a special blend for the occasion.

Last-minute shoppers can gift their loved ones tailored Valentine’s Day offers, with savings on special bundle packages across categories only found in the EmiratesRED inflight magazine. In addition, customers can save with EmiratesRED when buying any two fragrances to get USD15 off on brands like Amouage, Givenchy, YSL, Creed parfums, Versace, Cartier, and Hermes. EmiratesRED pre-order service is also available on most flights, where passengers can shop from 21 days up to 40 hours before their flight and browse a wide range of exclusive products. Customers can provide their flight details during checkout, and the cabin crew delivers the orders directly to their seat inflight for an unforgettable gifting experience. Emirates customers are invited to use the code RED10 at checkout to save an additional 10%.

Emirates Skywards members can also earn Skywards Miles this Valentine’s Day by shopping with their favourite brands across the UAE, UK, USA, Australia and India. Members will be spoilt for choice with thousands of brands on Skywards Miles Mall across various categories, including food, fashion, beauty, electronics, health, wellness, travel, leisure, entertainment and more. The loyalty programme has recently introduced a new way to spend Miles on Gift Cards. Starting at only 2,000 Miles – members can simply log into skywardsmilesmall.com with their Emirates Skywards membership details, select their preferred Gift Card value; and enjoy spending Miles with thousands of brands.

For flights and bookings, visit www.emirates.com. 

MH increases Trivandrum flights

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TTR WEEKLY
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KUALA LUMPUR, 14 February 2024: Following a surge in bookings on the Trivandrum – Kuala Lumpur route, Malaysia Airlines will be double flights starting 2 April 2024. 

The airline commenced flights to Trivandrum in India last November, operating two flights weekly, and has now confirmed flights will increase to four weekly beginning April 2024. 

Flight increases to Trivandrum will raise the airline’s flights to India to 71 weekly. Currently, the airline offers flights from nine major hubs in India, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Amritsar and Trivandrum.

Flight schedules from Kuala Lumpur to Trivandrum effective 2 April:

PATA names new board members

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 14 February 2024: Thirteen institutions and companies will join the Pacific Asia Travel Association’s board following an election process that saw 30 candidates vying for the two-year appointments.

Earlier this week, PATA chair Peter Semone announced the result of the association’s internal elections for various categories represented on the board. Categories comprised Government and Destinations (four elected), Members at Large (six elected), PATA Chapters (one elected) and PATA Student Chapters (one elected). They will fill 13 board positions to be ratified by the association’s Annual General Meeting, held on the sidelines of the PATA Annual Summit in Macau, 15 to 17 May. The PATA board can have a maximum of 40 members who serve two-year terms. Currently, the board comprises 35 companies and institutions. The elections vote for companies or institutions, not individuals or company executives.

Photo credit: PATA. The annual Summit in Macau will ratify the appointment of 13 board members after the February elections.

“It gives me great pleasure to inform the PATA Community that we can confirm the results of the recently held board election. It is indeed encouraging to see the strong support from our members to elect strong leaders,” Semone commented.

On the board for two years

Government/Destination Category: 
Sarawak Tourism Board, Malaysia;
Ministry of Tourism, Government of India;
Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA), Thailand;
Thailand Conventions and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), Thailand.

Members at Large Category:
JTB Tourism Research & Consultancy Co;
Visa Worldwide;
Tripadvisor;
Jetwing Hotels;
Mastercard Asia;
Capilano University;
Wakayama University;

PATA Chapter Category:
PATA India Chapter.

PATA Student Chapter Category:
PATA Thailand Bangkok University Student Chapter.

Later this month, nominations will open to serve on the PATA Executive Board (EB) nominations, followed by elections in April. Semone clarified that all Executive Board members are elected, including the three officer positions of chair, vice chair and secretary/treasurer.

(Source: PATA)

Mandira Abadi flicks the Hotel Switch

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 14 February 2024: Trip Affiliates Network, a tech platform for the travel and hospitality sectors, has announced the successful integration of Mandira Abadi (MDA) Indonesia into Hotel Switch, TA Network’s open ecosystem facilitating instant global connectivities.

Headquartered in Indonesia, MDA has an extensive portfolio of hotel clients and a proven regional consumer base. This strategic partnership underscores the shared mission of both companies to simplify the travel business by seamlessly connecting suppliers and distributors with the most accurate and up-to-date information.

Photo credit: Trip Affiliates Network.

Mandira Travel managing director Justianus Rachmat said: “As we expand our international distribution network and drive direct bookings, our partnership with TA Network will significantly boost business volumes for clients and suppliers. This will enhance competitiveness in the B2B travel sector, and MDA looks forward to expanding its wholesale business through online travel channels connected via TA Network.”

This collaboration aligns with TA Network’s strategy to deliver innovative solutions for major clients seeking to deploy high-performance technology. The company attributes its success to the strength of TA Network’s dedicated team and a comprehensive technology approach.

Trip Affiliates Network managing partner Josef Foo emphasised the significance of the collaboration with MDA: “Collaborating with MDA marks a pivotal moment in our vision to build upon the successes achieved by both companies in the tourism domain. This partnership establishes TA Network as an innovator in travel tech solutions, expanding our product suite. This collaboration solidifies our presence in Indonesia, a key market region, and reinforces our leadership in the travel tech space.”

TA Network’s turnkey solutions and connectivities unite leading travel wholesalers, operators, and destination management companies across the Asia Pacific into a single open travel ecosystem. With a focus on customer value, direct supplier contracting, and real-time connections, TA Network enhances inventory management and offers software integration services.

This platform empowers partners and service providers to expand sales channels and partnerships more flexibly and proactively. TA Network’s platform is designed to leverage technology solutions adopted by hotels and wholesale agents, facilitating direct connectivity and automating inventory management processes, thereby eliminating issues associated with allotments due to potential human errors in manually maintaining hotel contracts.

About Mandira Abadi
Established in 2001, MDA is the leading B2B wholesaler in Indonesia, catering to both individual & corporate clients and engaged in hotel reservation services. 

About Trip Affiliates Network
Headquartered in Singapore, with offices in Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand, Trip Affiliates Network (TA Network) provides FIT/group inbound & outbound turnkey solutions and add-on direct supplier connectivity services for travel agents, wholesalers & hotels.

Lao Airlines expands regional flights

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TTR WEEKLY
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14 February 2024: Lao Airlines expands its international network this March with new flights from Vientiane to Phnom Penh and Savannakhet to Bangkok.

Booking websites indicate the airline will launch the Vientiane-Phnom Penh flight on 19 March, offering three weekly services on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. It will deploy an A320 for the one-hour and 20-minute flight.

QV551 will depart Vientiane at 0830 and arrive in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, at 0950.
The return flight QV552 will depart Phnom Penh at 1050 and arrive in Vientiane at 1210.
According to the airline’s website, the starting one-way fare is pegged at USD110.50

The airline’s Facebook page confirmed the launch of a three-weekly service on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday between Savannakhet in central Laos and Bangkok, the Thai capital, starting 15 March. Using an ATR72 with 70 seats, the flight time will be one hour and 30 minutes. The one-way fare starts at USD105.

Flight QV202 will depart Savannakhet (ZVR) at 1040 and arrive in Bangkok at 1210. The return flight QV203 will depart Bangkok at 1310 and arrive in Savannakhet at 1310

Agoda ranks Valentine’s top spots

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 14 February 2024: In a revealing insight into Valentine’s Day travel trends, digital travel platform Agoda identifies the top 10 most searched international destinations for couples checking in on 14 February, with Bangkok topping the chart with Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, in second and third place.

Asia’s diverse cities seem to be getting the most love from travellers this Valentine’s Day (14 February), with eight of the top 10 destinations being cosmopolitan hubs. 

Bangkok wins the most hearts, with Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, and Hong Kong making up the rest of the top five. Bali and Phuket are the only two beach destinations feeling the love and making it to the top 10. 

The list reveals a significant interest in Japan and Thailand, with three Japanese cities — Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka — making the top 10, and two Thai destinations — Bangkok and Phuket — also capturing the hearts of travellers.

Agoda’s senior vice president supply, Andrew Smith, shared: “Valentine’s Day is a special time for couples to explore and create new memories together. The diversity in this year’s top-searched destinations highlights the broad spectrum of experiences couples seek, from the bustling streets of Tokyo and Bangkok to the rejuvenating beauty of Bali and Phuket.”

Notably, cities like Seoul, Hong Kong, and Kuala Lumpur reflect an interest in exploring dynamic urban environments, while the presence of Bali underscores the enduring appeal of tropical getaways. This trend suggests that quality time can come in many forms, with couples looking for a mix of adventure, culture, relaxation, and culinary delights.

Top 10 searched international destinations for couples checking in on Valentine’s Day 2024:
1. Bangkok;
2. Tokyo;
3. Osaka;
4. Seoul;
5. Hong Kong;
6. Bali;
7. Phuket;
8. Singapore;
9. Fukuoka;
10. Kuala Lumpur.

(Source: Agoda)

E&O luxury train back on track

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 13 February 2023: Launching in March, the Eastern and Oriental Express’ new Wild Malaysia itinerary includes an excursion to the Taman Negara National Park.

Guests can choose between three activities: an educational park tour to learn about the endangered Malayan Tigers, a wildlife photography class or an exploration of the rainforest’s ancient caves. 

Following the introduction of a new itinerary and a refresh of the train’s interiors and cabins, the Eastern & Oriental Express, A Belmond Train, Southeast Asia, departed on 11 February on its first journey since its four-year pause, mainly due to the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The iconic train’s 2024 trips begin in Singapore’s Woodlands station and take in destinations like Penang and Langkawi before returning to Singapore.

This May, a special Tiger Express journey designed with the train’s partner, ‘Save Wild Tigers’, aims to raise awareness of the conservation efforts to save the Malay Tiger from extinction, contributing to the fight against illegal poaching and habitat loss. The latest train itinerary includes the Wild Malaysia excursion, concluding with two nights at The Datai in Langkawi.

The revamped Eastern & Oriental Express rolls out with 15 cars, including eight sleeping carriages, two restaurants, a piano bar lounge car and an open-air observation car. 

New in-cabin experience

Pullman, State, and Presidential cabins are air-conditioned. The Pullman cabins draw inspiration from Kuala Lumpur, featuring red and blue accents resembling the city’s skyline. The State cabins reflect Penang’s marine locale with a blue and green palette, and the Presidential Suites exude opulence with hues of gold and embroidered elements.

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