MANILA, 12 April 2023: Cebu Pacific confirms this week it will expand its north Luzon network by launching flights between Manila and Laoag, allowing more travellers to explore the landscapes and rich cultural heritage of Ilocandia.
Starting 22 May, CEB will fly daily between Manila and Laoag, making it the 35th domestic destination in the airline’s domestic network.
“Laoag plays a crucial role in preserving the country’s rich history and culture, and we are excited to finally be able to bring more Juans to this beautiful city. We hope launching the Laoag route will encourage more people to travel and experience the Ilocos region,” said Xander Lao, Cebu Pacific President and Chief Commercial Officer.
Laoag, just a one-hour flight from Manila, is the capital of Ilocos Norte and serves as a jump-off point to many of the province’s most popular tourist destinations.
The top attractions include a sandboarding adventure on the La Paz Sand Dunes, the centuries-old Spanish colonial buildings, and taking a photo of the sinking bell tower of the St. William’s Cathedral.
From Laoag, travellers can also reach other attractions in the Ilocos Region, such as the Paoay Church and the white sand beaches of Pagudpud.
CEB flies to 34 domestic and 25 international destinations across Asia, Australia and the Middle East.
KUALA LUMPUR, 12 April 2023: The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) confirmed that the move to the MITEC venue worked with more than 180,000 travel consumers visiting the MATTA Fair the three days, 17 to 19 March 2023.
The event moved this year to the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) in Kuala Lumpur, ending decades of hosting at the city’s World Trade Centre.
From left to right: Aaron Bong Ken Jin, Deputy General Manager Marketing, Malaysia Book of Records. YB Dato’ Sri Tiong King Sing, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC). Datuk Tan Kok Liang, President of MATTA.
During a media briefing that reviewed the MATTA Fair performance, MATTA president Datuk Tan Kok Liang said the fair fielded 1,416 booths covering an area of 39,000 square metres of exhibition space, enabling the Malaysia Book of Records to recognise the event as the country’s largest International Travel Fair.
Leading exhibitors attending the show included 19 National Tourism Organizations (NTO), 13 State Tourism Organizations (STO), and over 220 corporate exhibitors.
Numerous new and upcoming destinations, such as Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Uganda, Kyrgyzstan and Zimbabwe, increased their presence during the show.
Total sales turnover was slightly more than MYR300 million, with domestic sales alone accounting for MYR 34 million. Average spending per customer increased across all tourism verticals, demonstrating that there was still plenty of pent-up demand for travel and that consumers remained confident in their spending despite the global economic downturn.
“We are overjoyed because this 52nd edition, which is also our first at MITEC, has surpassed previous records regarding capacity, visitor turnout, and sales recorded,” said Tan.
“We did this by venturing outside our comfort zone to take up a much larger venue and overcoming numerous obstacles to meet the expectations of exhibitors and visitors. The last MATTA Fair, held in September 2022 at the World Trade Centre, had over 43,000 visitors and featured 536 booths”.
“The enormous success reflects Malaysians’ increased desire to travel domestically and internationally. Travel continues to enrich our lives and will continue to do so in the future. Travel is a way of life for Malaysians. However, today’s vacationers are budget conscious and seek value-for-money packages,” added Tan.
Feedback from exhibitors indicated that for the domestic sector, Sabah, Terengganu and Kedah were the top three destinations as consumers prefer to buy packages due to logistics factors. Korea, Japan and Vietnam topped the list for Far East Asia. For the long-haul sector, European countries such as the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Italy remained the top destination, followed by Turkiye.
Buyers’ Contest data showed Malaysia leading the top 10 destinations, followed by Singapore, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Thailand, the UK and Indonesia. Data also indicated that travel packages from more than 75 international destinations spanning the North Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia were also purchased during the fair.
Key cities for international air ticket bookings were London, Melbourne, Osaka, Narita, Bangkok, Incheon, Sydney and Bali, driven by attractive airfares.
“The MATTA Fair provides consumers with the opportunity to purchase directly from licensed travel agencies and tour operators – this is also an indicator that the travel agency and tour operator business is not only sustainable but highly relevant in today’s modern world,” Tan explained.
The next MATTA Fair will be held at MITEC Kuala Lumpur from 1 to 3 September 2023. It should attract an even larger turnout with the China market making a solid comeback and with the resumption of more international flights directly to Malaysia,” Tan concluded.
PHNOM PENH, 12 April 2023: Ahead of the Mekong Tourism Forum in Preah Sihanoukville on 26 April, Cambodia’s Minister of Tourism, Thong Khon, outlines his country’s targets for tourism, aviation and dispersing a new generation of visitors beyond Angkor Wat and Phnom Penh.
Q: What are your targets for Cambodian tourism in 2023?
A: The target for Cambodia’s tourism in 2023 is to increase the number of international tourist arrivals from 4 to 4.5 million. Cambodia hosts the Southeast Asian Games 2023 in May, a major tourist event.
Q: Is there a new emphasis or focus on Cambodia’s 2023 tourism promotion campaigns?
A: Our focus is “Visit Cambodia Year 2023”. It has the theme “MICE and Sports” and the slogan “Every Day is A Wonder”. Apart from the SEA Games, we also have the 12th ASEAN Para Games from 3 to 9 June in Phnom Penh, with the theme, “Sports Live In Peace”. There’s also the Mekong Tourism Forum 2023 in Sihanoukville from 25 to 27 April on “Rethinking for Resilience and Digitalization”.
Q: How has tourism in Cambodia changed since the pandemic?
A: Like many other countries, Cambodia faced a big challenge from the global Covid-19 pandemic. The number of international arrivals dropped from 6.6 million in 2019 to 1.3 million in 2020 and to only 200,000 in 2021. With tourism coming back, there have been some positives.
Cambodia became the first country in ASEAN to fully re-open for international travellers in October 2022. That helped increase international arrivals to 2.23 million by the end of 2022. Cambodia expects to receive around 4 million international visitors by the end of 2023, 5 million in 2024 and 7 million in 2025.
We developed new tourism infrastructure during the pandemic, such as 38 new roads in Siem Reap, the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville expressway, and the new Siem Reap International Airport, due for completion in Q3 this year. The new Techo Takhmao International Airport south of Phnom Penh will complete its first phase in mid-2024.
Q: What changes to the aviation sector are you encouraging to boost Cambodia’s tourism?
A: By March 2028, we plan to have 33 airlines connecting to Cambodia through three international airports with an average of 494 flights per week or 988 movements. The government aims to boost the influx of international tourists and new airlines by applying tax incentives and reducing or waiving landing fees. We are investing a lot in two new airports: Kandal province, just south of Phnom Penh, and Siem Reap.
Q: What policies do you have to disperse tourism from Angkor Wat to other parts of Cambodia?
A: Initially, foreign tourists visiting Cambodia wished to see only Angkor Wat temple. Through the preparation of new tour packages, tourists are now starting to enjoy more nature tourism, adventure activities, community-based tourism, ecotourism and learning about the lives of people and local food. We want to attract tourists away from Angkor Wat to help poorer areas develop.
Q: What role does the upcoming Mekong Tourism Forum in Preah Sihanouk play in Cambodia’s tourism future?
A: The Mekong Tourism Forum is vital in discussing critical issues and emerging trends among regional tourism stakeholders. With the theme Rethinking for Resilience and Digitalisation, forum attendees will discuss sustainable food systems, fostering women’s empowerment, accelerating digitalisation, and upskilling the tourism workforce.
BANGKOK, 12 April 2023: Centara Mirage Resort Mui Ne, under Centara Hotels & Resorts’ management, has been honoured as the “Best luxury family resort in Vietnam.”
It was voted into the Luxury Lifestyle Awards – one of the most prestigious global awards with 15 years of operation to select, recognise, commend, and promote the most superlative goods and services worldwide.
To win this award, Centara Mirage Resort Mui Ne passed an evaluation process by a panel of judges comprising hospitality industry professionals, high-end business owners, and media partners who encompass a wealth of knowledge of elite lifestyle to select winners from a list of more than 4,000 luxury products and services from 120 different regions around the world.
The resort’s general manager Tom Van Tuijl shared: “This award is an exceptional achievement by the whole team at Centara Mirage Resort Mui Ne. It is a testament to our efforts and dedication to creating unique and international standard experiences in the coastal resort town of Mui Ne. This also affirms the quality of the family resort brand Centara Mirage in Vietnam.”
Located in pristine Mui Ne and considered the resort capital in Binh Thuan Province, Centara Mirage Resort Mui Ne was opened in July 2021 with a Mediterranean style. This “Explorer’s Playground” destination is introduced as an ideal resort for families, groups of friends and businesses, providing 984 well-designed luxury rooms and villas with open space overlooking Mui Ne Bay.
The integrated services at Centara Mirage Resort Mui Ne are built with a concept based on the cohesion of family members of all ages, including restaurants, bars, gym and spas to modern children’s entertainment areas such as gaming E-Zone, outdoor playground, indoor kid’s club. The resort also has a three-storey Fantasia water pool complex with various water activities.
DUBAI, UAE, 12 April 2023: Emirates, widely considered the QE2 among airlines and beloved by millions worldwide for its sumptuous air and land services, will now be sailing across the seven seas with its newly-launched maritime arm, Emirates Sealine.
Lucky ship-spotters and cruise aficionados witnessed glimpses of the first liner as it majestically sailed around Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah earlier this month on its maiden sea trial – click here.
Emirates Sealine is promising cruisers top-tier and never-before-imagined experiences as they voyage to rarely-before-seen ports of call. It has placed a titanic, multi-billion-dollar order for 10 cruise ships.
Having identified significant gaps in the industry’s offering, Emirates Sealine will give a wide berth to convention, offering a cruise calendar outside traditional seasons. The first cruise is scheduled to flag off from Dubai Harbour on 01 April 2024, with Karachi as the maiden port of call – harking back to the airline’s first-ever flight in October 1985.
Itineraries and bookings will be open from 31 June. Emirates Sealine’s liners will dock at major cruise ports – charting a course from the US to New Zealand – supported by the airline’s colossal network.
Captain Jack Shallow, the newly appointed Chief Maritime Officer at the helm of Emirates Sealine said: “Emirates is no stranger to the seas, having been associated with powerboat racing in Dubai to Emirates Team New Zealand and, more recently, the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team. While cities worldwide remain moored to challenges, Dubai is sailing smoothly at unimaginable knots and has outstanding cruise and other multi-modal transport infrastructure.
“Technology, AI and innovation in developing our future-generation cruise ships mean we can mirror the city’s pace and sail at more than 50 knots per hour – nearly double the speed of the fastest ones today. We’re working on providing luxury onboard, never-before-explored itineraries and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. We’ll be running a tight ship to ensure we deliver on our promises to our customers. Right now, it’s all hands to the deck as the team prepares for launch.”
Emirates Sealine will set the industry’s pace around maritime sustainability by working with vendors on sustainable maritime fuel (SMF), solar panels, recycling and waste management.
Emirates’ passengers, arriving in style from across the airline’s global network to Dubai, will be whisked off in custom-built electric chauffeur-driven cars from DXB to Dubai Harbour and escorted to their luxury cabins onboard, in a seamless air-land-sea journey.
The cruise fleet will feature four cabin types, offering varied and tiered levels of space, amenities, and luxury. More product and service details may be released in the future.
Over the next months, Emirates Sealine will recruit thousands of mariners and specialists with diverse skills and expertise to manage operations and serve guests with the airline’s signature hospitality, supporting economies across its network. Recruitment information will shortly be available on the Sealine’s website.
Meanwhile, those seeking other roles at the Emirates Group should continue to visit: www.emiratesgroupcareers.com
SINGAPORE, 12 April 2023: Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NCL), a leading global cruise company which operates the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands, has announced plans to improve connectivity at sea by offering SpaceX’s Starlink high-speed internet on its ships.
Using advanced low earth orbit satellites, Starlink delivers industry-leading broadband internet connectivity, which will improve the capacity, speed and reliability of the internet on board. The company is currently testing Starlink, beginning with Norwegian Breakaway, intending to roll out this game-changing technology across its entire world-class fleet in a phased manner.
“We are thrilled to offer Starlink on board our ships to improve internet connectivity at sea. This initiative is a testament to our continuous quest to find new and innovative ways to enhance the experience for guests and crew while sailing on our award-winning brands,” said Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings president and CEO-elect Harry Sommer.
“Ensuring that this technology meets our high standards of excellence for our guests is incredibly important to us, which is why we are introducing this cutting-edge technology across our fleet in a phased manner. Once deployed, guests and crew will have a faster and more reliable method to stay connected with friends and family by sharing the incredible memories they create at sea in real-time.”
A comprehensive rollout plan is under development, and details regarding the timeline and availability of specific ships will be communicated once finalised. In addition to enhancing the guest and crew experience, the extra bandwidth will allow for more flexibility for onboard services and improve the ship-to-shore connection for operational needs.
SINGAPORE, 12 April 2023: Pandaw introduces a new 10-night cruise on the Mekong River sailing between Chiang Khong in Thailand and Pak Lay, a large town just upstream of Vientiane in Laos.
In a blurb introducing the new itinerary, Pandaw notes that pioneering expedition cruises on the fast-flowing and rocky Upper Mekong River in Laos will become more challenging as more dams are constructed that will dramatically change the river and the communities who really on it for a livelihood.
Photo credit: Pandaw Cruises
“This changeable river has proven to be a constant navigational challenge… The continued construction of several planned dams along the Mekong in Laos is already impacting water levels in the region… we have updated our itinerary to futureproof our expeditions,” the company statement explained.
The new itinerary still includes transfers between Chaing Mai or Chiang Rai in Thailand and Vientiane in Laos but with a “shorter and more in-depth sailing experience along the Mekong.”
Touring in Vientiane will no longer be included in the 10-night itinerary. Instead, the cruise company will sell the sightseeing tour of the city as a pre or post-cruise extension.
The change offers extra time in the UNESCO city of Luang Prabang. It also introduces a new excursion to the Mekong Elephant Park in Pak Beng, a sanctuary dedicated to rehabilitating and protecting elephants while providing alternate employment for the mahouts who would traditionally use the elephants for logging or entertainment.
KUALA LUMPUR, 12 April 2023: AirAsia Malaysia’s (AK) China expansion continues, with direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Shantou starting 16 June and a new direct flight from Kota Kinabalu to Beijing (Daxing) on 1 July this year.
AirAsia will reconnect Kuala Lumpur to Shantou, starting with two weekly flights in June and increasing to four in July. With seven weekly flights, the airline will fly from Kota Kinabalu to Beijing (Daxing) for the first time.
The new connections allow AirAsia to strengthen its position as the largest foreign low-cost carrier in China with a 45% market share, following the recent resumption of flights to/from Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Nanning, Wuhan, Kunming, Macao and Hong Kong served by AirAsia Malaysia (AK).
The rapid short-haul expansion is part of the airline’s strategy to align its international network, complementing the medium-haul connectivity to Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Beijing (Daxing) served by AirAsia X Malaysia (D7).
AirAsia Malaysia CEO Riad Asmat said: “We are pleased to restart our service to Shantou, which was first introduced in 2016. Shantou is one of our most popular destinations, where we flew about 340,000 guests to/from the coastal city until the end of 2019. In addition, we are also thrilled to announce the commencement of the new route from Kota Kinabalu to Beijing (Daxing), of which we will be the only airline connecting Sabah state capital directly to the capital of China.
“China has always been one of our most important key markets. The two routes will contribute about 10% additional capacity to our China network. We remain committed to further expanding the connectivity to Malaysia, a popular destination for Chinese tourists.
“Our expansion strategy is excellent news for Malaysian tourism. Having most of China’s routes back on our network will help the growth of the tourism sector, an important asset for the nation’s economy. We hope that our vast network will contribute to the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture’s target of 16.1 million international tourist arrivals this year.”
In celebration of the route resumption and the new route launch, AirAsia is offering promotional all-in one-way fares from MYR369 from Kuala Lumpur to Shantou and from MYR459 from Kota Kinabalu to Beijing (Daxing).
Promotional fares are available for booking until 16 April 2023, for the travel period from 17 April to 28 October 2023, on AirAsia Super App and airasia.com.
As a group, AirAsia currently flies to 35 routes in China with a total of 287 weekly flights from Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines in May, with plans to increase the number of weekly flights to 317 with the addition of Kuala Lumpur to Shantou, Kota Kinabalu to Beijing (Daxing), Bangkok (Don Mueang) to Xi’an and Cebu to Shenzhen between June and July.
AirAsia Malaysia (AK) currently flies 11 routes from Kuala Lumpur to Guangzhou, Kunming, Shenzhen, Nanning, Macao, and Hong Kong; from Kota Kinabalu to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan, and Hong Kong; and from Johor Bahru to Guangzhou. AirAsia X Malaysia (D7) flies three routes from Kuala Lumpur to Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Beijing (Daxing).
AirAsia Thailand (FD) currently flies 16 routes from Bangkok (Don Mueang) to Chongqing, Chengdu, Changsha, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Kunming, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Nanjing, Macao, and Hong Kong; from Chiang Mai to Beijing (Daxing), Changsha, Hangzhou, and Hong Kong; and from Phuket to Hong Kong. AirAsia X Thailand (XJ) flies one route from Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) to Shanghai. AirAsia Philippines (Z2) flies four routes from Manila to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Macao, and Hong Kong.
Flight Schedule between Kuala Lumpur (KUL) and Shantou (SWA):
Flight Schedule between Kota Kinabalu (BKI) and Beijing (Daxing) (PKX):
CHIANG RAI, 12 April 2023: Thailand welcomed the first post-Covid-19 overland caravan tour from China earlier this week when 231 cars with 778 occupants crossed the border at the Thailand – Laos Friendship Bridge at Chiang Khong in this far northern province.
It marks the first official car caravan to travel from Kunming in China to Thailand via Laos since 2019.
Officials from Chiang Rai province and the Tourism Authority of Thailand director for Chiang Rai and Phayao provinces, Wisut Buachum, welcomed the group that arrived in two separate batches on the 10 and 11 April.
Photo credit: Sompol Sawanprom.
The caravan trip was organised by Chinese travel agents and Kunming tourism officials following China’s lifting of Covid-19 travel restrictions on 8 January 2023.
According to the TAT, the most recent statistics for Chinese tourists entering Thailand from January to March 2023 via the Chiang Khong border checkpoint stood at 1,561 tourists (all nationalities) using 84 vehicles (mostly buses). No details were given, but officials noted it was far below the 2019 figure for overland trips crossing the bridge.
Thailand tightened its car self-drive tour rules following negative media reports claiming Chinese overlanders were using campervans and parking on streets near tourist attractions. The argument hovered around low revenue earned from Chinese car tours while suggesting Chinese drivers caused accidents due to being unfamiliar with Thai driving habits.
But technically, caravan tours using private cars can still be organised if using a registered travel agency and complying with strict rules relating to cars and drivers introduced in 2016.
The TAT Kunming office claims overland caravans are back for northern Thailand destinations such as Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, extending even to Sukhothai in central Thailand. But the long-term plan is to open caravan tour routes to Sukhothai, Bangkok, Chonburi (Pattaya), Khon Kaen and Udon Thani.
The return of car caravan tourism to North Thailand focused on the 15-day trip that started last week on an overland R3A route from Kunming City with stops at the Bohan Checkpoint (China) – Bo Ten (Laos) – Huai Sai Checkpoint (Laos) – Chiang Khong Border Checkpoint (4th Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge) and then heading south to Sukhothai for the Songkran Festival later this week.
Photo credit Sompol Sawanprom. Ready for the drive to Chiang Rai town and south to Sukhothai.
Participants in the caravan tour came mainly from cities in Yunnan plus Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Some years back, the potential of self-drive car tours from China to the Mekong Region gained an airing on the sidelines of the ASEAN Tourism Forum in 2019, held at Halong Bay, Vietnam, just one year before Covid-19 locked down regional tourism.
During the government meetings held at the ATF 2019, leading tourism officials from Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam discussed ways to promote self-drive holidays between the four countries. They formed a think tank covering the CLTV countries to take a closer look at self-drive tours. The subject is again on the table now that the Covid-19 pandemic is in full retreat.
For years travel leaders in the Mekong Region tourism industry have been arguing the case for two-way, self-drive holidays that cross international borders. However, the snags include strict national legislation banning right-hand-drive cars, restrictive police escort rules and driving licence regulations.
Thailand also tightened rules for cars crossing the border with Laos in 2016. Strict rules virtually ended the self-drive option for Chinese holidaymakers, who travelled through Laos to visit Chiang Rai province in North Thailand in the hundreds during the cool season months.
In response to recommendations to revisit overland self-drive holidays in the four countries back in 2019, Thai tourism expert Pasit Poomchusri posted on Facebook: “I was a joint draftsman of the ASEAN vision on this and was the first person to talk about promoting single car travel…not caravans in the four countries.”
Self-drive holidays in the region are part of the ASEAN 2025 vision, but he warned that the experience had to be convenient and safe, as in Europe…It could be a 20-year wait.”
Another tourism expert, Mana Chobthum, added in a Facebook post: “The grouping of CLVT tourists markets is OK, but we should look at the bigger picture and consider travel from ASEAN neighbours, not just China.
BANGKOK, 12 April 2023: Thai Vietjet, in collaboration with Airports of Thailand (AOT), surprises passengers with special activities at the check-in counters this week to celebrate the return of the annual Songkran Festival.
Thai Vietjet staff, dressed in traditional Thai costumes, welcome passengers at the airline’s check-in counters of row C, Suvarnabhumi Airport, with a Thai dessert called ‘Allure’ presented as a sweet souvenir to all passengers.
In addition, the airline splashes fiscal happiness on passengers during the Songkran Festival week ending on 15 April. The ‘Songkran Splash Deals’ promotion sells a one-way fare for THB99 (excluding taxes and fees) for travel to destinations in the domestic network. Flights to international destinations sell at THB1,890 and are available for bookings until midnight on 15 April. Both deals are for travel from 16 May to 31 October 2023 (excluding public holidays).
