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Malaysia hosts Iranian agents

KUALA LUMPUR, 25 November 2022: Tourism Malaysia hosted travel trade partners from Iran last week on a familiarisation trip that presented Malaysia as the preferred tourist destination following its international border reopening.

A total of eight travel agents and representatives from Emirates were travelled from Tehran for an eight-day, seven-night (8D7N) stay in Penang, Genting Highlands, Sunway and Kuala Lumpur from 16 to 23 November 2022.

The fam trip was also co-hosted by Emirates, Park Royal Penang Resort, Penang Global Tourism, Sunway Lagoon Hotels, and Toranj Tours & Travel.

Participants toured the most-visited states in Malaysia, including Penang, to discover the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Georgetown, exciting rides and games in a natural environment at the Escape Theme Park, as well as explore the most authentic, diverse and educational Malaysian rainforest experience at Penang Hill and The Habitat.

The Pearl of the Orient trip continued with a visit to the Pinang Peranakan Mansion – famously known for its green Straits Eclectic style, a stroll on the wooden piers of a floating village at Clan Jetties, and an experience on rare and exotic fruits at Penang Tropical Fruit Farm.

Participants also had the opportunity to visit Resorts World Genting, a premier leisure and entertainment resort in Malaysia, and Sunway Resort in Kuala Lumpur, which has just reopened after a once-in-a-generation transformation.

Tourism Malaysia director-general Dato’ Haji Zainuddin Abdul Wahab said he was confident the curated experiences would encourage Iranian travel agents to experience our tourism products firsthand and actively sell tour packages to Malaysia, especially in promoting the latest attractions effectively.

“Iran remains one of Malaysia’s top international tourists generating markets in the Middle East before the pandemic. In 2019, Malaysia welcomed 46,559 arrivals from Iran, and we will continue to promote Malaysia as a safe holiday destination.”

There are currently 14 weekly Emirates direct flights from Dubai to Kuala Lumpur, with a seating capacity of 4,998 seats.

(Source: Tourism Malaysia)

Amex GBT partners with dnata

DUBAI, UAE, 25 November 2022: dnata announced a partnership with American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT) this week.

The agreement sees Dubai-based dnata Travel Management, the region’s leading corporate travel provider, become Amex GBT’s preferred travel partner in the Middle East. dnata will provide complete end-to-end travel and meetings management services to Amex GBT’s customers in the region.

dnata Travel Group, Middle East & India senior vice president Rashid Al Awadhi commented:  “Our team’s extensive regional experience goes back to dnata’s GSA and travel agency roots in 1959. Through the years, dnata has continued to build its expertise and network to earn its position as the largest travel management company in the UAE and one of the largest and most successful in the Middle East. With our broad expertise and 24-hour support function, we will work hard to ensure Amex GBT customers enjoy a quality experience throughout their journey.”

Amex GBT Senior vice president & general manager for the EMEA region Jason Geall said: “We believe our current and future customers will benefit from best-in-class services with dnata as our preferred travel partner. dnata has a proven reputation for trust and transparency that supports Amex GBT’s commitment to service, governance and compliance.”

THAI adds flights to Singapore

BANGKOK, 25 November 2022: Thai Airways International will increase its Bangkok-Singapore roundtrip flights from 21 to 28 per week starting 12 December 2022 to serve travel demand going into the festive holiday season.

THAI is adding services on routes to destinations in Asia that introduced easy entry rules and no Covid-19 restrictions. Japan has also reinstated visa exemption for Thai travellers, boosting bookings since October. 

Singapore flight details are as follows:

1) TG403 from Bangkok at 08.00 hours to Singapore at 1115 (local time) and TG404 from Singapore at 1225 (local time) to Bangkok at 1345.

2) TG413 from Bangkok at 1130 to Singapore at 1450 (local time) and TG414 from Singapore at 1555 (local time) to Bangkok at 1715.

3) TG407 from Bangkok at 1250 to Singapore at 1610 (local time) and TG408 from Singapore at 1815 (local time) to Bangkok at 1935.

4) TG409 from Bangkok at 1635 to Singapore at 1955 (local time) and TG410 from Singapore at 2100 (local time) to Bangkok at 2220.

Earlier the airline confirmed its winter schedule from 30 October 2022 to 31 March 2023.

Intercontinental routes

Bangkok – London: twice daily.

Bangkok – Paris: daily.

Bangkok – Zurich: daily.

Bangkok – Frankfurt: twice daily.

Bangkok – Munich: daily.

Bangkok – Copenhagen: daily.

Bangkok – Stockholm: Five times weekly and increasing daily from 1 December 2022.

Bangkok-Melbourne: daily.

Regional routes

Bangkok-Tokyo (Narita): twice daily.

Bangkok-Tokyo (Haneda): daily.

Bangkok-Nagoya: daily.

Bangkok-Osaka: daily.

Bangkok-Fukuoka: daily.

Bangkok-Sapporo: daily, starting 1 December 2022.

Bangkok-Manila: twice daily.

Bangkok-Seoul: triple daily.

Bangkok – Taipei: daily. (Increases to twice daily starting 14 January 2023.

Bangkok – Hong Kong: twice daily.

Bangkok – Singapore: three daily. (Four daily from 12 December).

Bangkok – Jakarta: twice daily.

Bangkok – Denpasar: daily.

Bangkok – Kuala Lumpur: twice daily.

Bangkok – Kolkata: daily. (Starts 1 January 2023).

Bangkok – Chennai: daily.

Bangkok – Hyderabad: daily.

Bangkok – Bengaluru: daily.

Bangkok – Delhi: 22 flights weekly – three daily plus an extra flight on Friday.

Bangkok-Mumbai: daily. (Increases to 11 flights weekly starting 1 January 2023).

Bangkok-Dhaka: 10 flights weekly.

Bangkok-Lahore: five flights weekly on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Bangkok-Islamabad: four flights weekly on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

Bangkok-Karachi: daily.

Bangkok-Jeddah: four flights weekly on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. (Daily from 1 January 2023).

Centara extends contract at Krabi resort

Centara Karon Resort Phuket

BANGKOK, 24 November 2022: Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, has confirmed the signing of a new contract agreement with Dr Pornsak Thantapakul, CEO and Managing Director of Anda Beach Resort Co Ltd and owner of  Centara Anda Dhevi Resort & Spa Krabi, to continue managing the property for 10 more years.

To mark the hotel management agreement extension, which comes into effect starting in 2023, Centara hosted a ceremony at its head office in Bangkok. The special occasion marked the continuation of a meaningful partnership between Centara and Dr Pornsak and Centara’s ongoing commitment to providing unforgettable guest experiences and an international standard of hospitality.

Located steps away from sandy Nopparat Thara and Ao Nang beaches, Centara Anda Dhevi Krabi offers the ideal base to discover the beauty of Krabi’s tropical wonders, including world-class rock climbing, diving, and cruises to nearby karst islands.

At the resort, guests have access to an expansive 43-metre swimming pool complete with a swim-up bar, waterslide and direct pool access rooms. Kids can enjoy the children’s pool, while adults indulge in quiet time at the resort’s award-winning SPA Cenvaree or the fully-equipped fitness centre and steam room. Three delectable dining venues offer culinary experiences every guest will remember.

Centara Anda Dhevi Resort & Spa Krabi is conveniently situated about 20 minutes from Krabi Town and a 45-minute drive from Krabi International Airport.

For more information on Centara Anda Dhevi Resort & Spa Krabi, please visit https://www.centarahotelsresorts.com/centara/cak

(Your Stories: Centara Hotels & Resorts)

Sabah to host 12th Asian Bird Fair

KOTA KINABALU, 24 November 2022: Sabah will host the 12th Asian Bird Fair (ABF) in Kota Kinabalu during October 2023, the organisers announced on Monday.

Attending the ‘handover dinner’ of the 11th ABF held in Suncheon, Korea, earlier this week:Tay Shu Lan, deputy chief executive officer of marketing Sabah Tourism Board and Roger Rajah of the Sabah Birdwatchers Association.

Seen here left to right:

Jang Hong Sang
Chief Director, The Center of Suncheonman Bay Management

Park Sung Bong
CEO, Eco-Tourism Suncheon

Tay Shu Lan
Deputy CEO marketing Sabah Tourism Board

Roger Rajah
Sabah Birdwatchers Association

Asian Bird Fair Executive Committee members:  Andrew Sebastian,  Victor Yu and Michael Lu

The Asian Bird Fair (ABF) protects birds and their habitats and encourages birdwatching and other ecotourism activities. It was initiated by three passionate birdwatchers, Michael Lu (Philippines), Victor Yu (Taiwan) and Andrew Sebastian (Malaysia). They are the executive committee and founders of the ABF Network. The network is supported and endorsed by six founding organisations: Bird Conservation Society of Thailand, Malaysian Nature Society, Nature Society (Singapore), Wild Bird Club of the Philippines, Wild Bird Society of Taipei and the Chinese Wild Bird Federation.

The Asian Bird Fair Network (ABF) was formed at Malaysia’s Raptor Watch 2010, with signatories committing to jointly promote each other’s bird events. Up until the Covid-19 disruptions, the six founding organisations took turns hosting the ABF, starting with the Wild Bird Club of the Philippines (Davao, 2010), Chinese Wild Bird Federation (Tainan, 2011), Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (Bangpoo, 2012), The Wild Bird Society of Taipei (Taipei, 2013), Malaysian Nature Society (Langkawi, 2014), and Nature Society Singapore (Singapore, 2015.) ABF 2016 returned to China hosted by CunCaoXin Rural Environment Protection Promotion Association, Jingshan County, Hubei Province. ABF 2017 was hosted by Taehwa River Ecotourism in Ulsan, Korea and in 2018, the event was hosted by Ecotourism Taiwan in Chiayi, Taiwan. ABF 2019 was hosted by the Ecotourism and Conservation Society Malaysia (ECOMY) in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.

Visit: www.sabahtourism.com.

(Your Stories: Sabah Tourism Board)

JW Marriott opens Khao Lak Suites

KHAO LAK, Thailand, 24 November 2022: JW Marriott, part of Marriott Bonvoy’s portfolio of 30 hotel brands, will open the JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort Suites on 6 December 2022, at a beachside setting on southern Thailand’s Andaman coast 110 km north of Phuket island.

The  52 stylish two-bedroom suites range from 89 to 111 square metres. On the ground floor, pool access suites allow guests to step straight into the 2.4 km lagoon swimming pool, which claims to be the longest in Southeast Asia. The all-suites property shares the facilities of JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa, which includes a collection of 11 restaurants and bars.

The hotel group named Abhimanyu Singh, general manager of JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort Suites.

Tourism Malaysia hosts media race

PUTRAJAYA, 24 November 2022: Eighty-eight media practitioners, including 11 international entries from Indonesia, Thailand and Brunei, participated in the organisation of the Tourism Malaysia Media Explore Race (TOMER) 2022, held in conjunction with Tourism Malaysia’s Golden Jubilee celebrations, starting today.

Lasting three days and two nights, TOMER 2022 was organised in collaboration with Perodua as the main sponsor in addition to Montanic Adventure Store, BoraOmbak Marina Putrajaya, Selangor Fruit Valley, STEG Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Bagas Zakariah, Wonda Coffee and Pepsi.

The challenged required participants will go on a mission of travel and treasure exploration, covering a distance of more than 300 km as a group by riding a Perodua-sponsored car.

Along the way, the participants stopped at several checkpoints, including Selangor Fruit Valley, the remains of the Tanjung Tualang Tin Dredge No. 5 (TT5), Kellie’s Castle in Batu Gajah and Bagas Zakariah in Gopeng with activities such as witnessing a demonstration of ice blended ‘cempedak’ preparation by Dato’ Chef Ismail Ahmad, Tourism, Art and Culture Ambassador for the gastronomic market.

In addition, participants experienced an overnight camping experience at Riverside Camp Gopeng, enjoying a barbecue dinner while watching the performance of fire boys and local bands and followed by the highlight event; whitewater rafting in Sungai Kampar.

The travelling mission ended at the Kuala Lumpur Tourism Information Center (MaTiC), with a prize-giving ceremony to the winners held at Magica Hall, Quill City Mall.

TOMER 2022 aimed to establish close relations with local and international media and promote tourism products around Putrajaya, Selangor, Perak and Kuala Lumpur.

WTCC summit lines up top speakers

SINGAPORE, 24 November 2022: The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) confirms former UK Prime Minister Theresa May as the keynote speaker at its upcoming 22nd Global Summit in Saudi Arabia, alongside former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

The summit takes place from 28 November to 1 December 2022 under the theme “Travel for a Better Future”.

Theresa May served as Prime Minister from 2016 to 2019 and the second longest-serving post-war Home Secretary, serving for six years from 2010 to 2016.

Last year, May was appointed chair of the Aldersgate Group, an alliance that drives action for a sustainable economy.

During the Global Summit, industry leaders from a sector worth over 10% of global GDP (before the pandemic) will meet government officials from across the globe in the Saudi capital to continue aligning efforts to support the Travel & Tourism sector’s recovery and address the challenges ahead, to ensure a safer, more resilient, inclusive and sustainable sector.

WTTC president and CEO Julia Simpson said: “Theresa May has a long-standing interest in the environment. As Prime Minister, she launched the ‘25 Year Environmental Plan’ to tackle issues such as plastic waste. In 2019 she formally committed the UK to achieve ‘net zero’ emissions by 2050, making Britain the first major economy to do so.

“Our event will bring together many of the world’s most powerful leaders in our sector to discuss and secure its long-term future, which is critical to economies and jobs worldwide.”

South Korean diplomat Ban Ki-Moon, who served as the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016, will also address delegates in person.

(Source: WTTC)

China in no hurry to reopen tourism

VALENCIA, 24 November 2022: As one of the last major hurdles to full global travel recovery, China’s continued absence from the international travel market has left many destinations facing a huge shortfall in tourist arrivals.

ForwardKeys’ China Market Expert, Nan Dai, shares insights on the opportunities with emerging markets in APAC.

Despite international travel to and from China having been restricted since the emergence of Covid-19, domestic travel has been permitted for some time. However, continuous lockdowns on major population centres, like Shanghai and Chengdu, following new coronavirus outbreaks have created a volatile domestic travel landscape. Recovery is fast when restrictions are lifted, but changes are frequent and sudden, and each lockdown has a significant effect on demand.

Given the problems facing China’s domestic travel market and the government’s recent affirmation that it would maintain its cautious approach to Covid-19, the chances of the country reopening to international tourism in the short term appear slim. However, similar policies, including travel bans, were widespread throughout the Asia Pacific until earlier this year. Now that much of the region has reopened, it will be interesting to see whether local markets can keep Covid-19 rates under control. If they can, it may encourage China to reopen gradually in 2023 – as it will become increasingly difficult for the country to keep its borders closed when the rest of the region has returned to normality.

Yet even if China were to reopen next year, the economic challenges currently facing the country – including a property market crisis and issues relating to the pandemic – would result in a slow travel recovery, particularly in the long-haul segment.

Top Outbound APAC Markets to Consider

Until China’s outbound travel market fully reactivates, regional destinations that had developed a dependency on Chinese tourists in the years preceding the pandemic must shift their attention to other important markets.

India shows particular promise among the top five outbound markets in the Asia Pacific before the global health crisis. Although India’s size as an international outbound market is largely attributable to its significant global diaspora, its middle-class population is growing, and the number of outbound leisure travellers from the country is increasing.

Moreover, while India’s intraregional outbound travel market is relatively small, it had experienced more growth (+10.4%) than any of the other major Asia Pacific outbound markets – both international and intraregional – over the five years before the pandemic. Now that the country has fully reopened, ForwardKeys expects its development as an interregional outbound market to accelerate.

The economic situation is also improving in Thailand, allowing more of its residents to travel abroad and thereby making the country an increasingly valuable source market for regional destinations.

Meanwhile, Japan and South Korea, the top-performing outbound markets in the Asia Pacific (excluding China) before Covid-19, have recently reopened to travel and are expected to re-establish themselves as important source markets.

With China’s reopening seemingly still some time off, regional destinations need to adapt to the new environment, identifying markets and travel audiences to fill the gap left by China and contribute towards a long-term, sustainable tourism model.

Download the full Most Visited Destinations report.

(Source: ForwardKeys)

AirAsia X rolls out 5th quarter results

SEPANG, 22 November 2022: AirAsia X, the mid-range affiliate airline of AirAsia Aviation Group, reported its financial results on Tuesday for the Fifth* quarter of 2022, ending 30 September 2022.

The company posted a net profit of MYR25.1 million for the quarter compared to a net loss of MYR652.5 million in the preceding 4th quarter. Revenue was slightly lower at MYR100.1 million compared to MYR107.2 million during the period ending 30 June 2022 (4Q22) due to a reduction in revenue from the freight services segment due to normalised scheduled flight operations.

In other segments, recovery across all key metrics significantly improved as scheduled passenger and charter flights and ancillary revenues demonstrated strong recovery compared to the preceding quarter. For 5Q22, the company posted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (“EBITDA”) of MYR25.4 million, while profit before tax for the period stood at MYR23.8 million.

Operationally, the company reported a Passenger Load Factor of 73% during the quarter – less than 10 percentage points short of its pre-Covid-19 PLF of 81% in 2019. The company carried  80,385 passengers during the period under review compared to 8,892 passengers from April – June 2022. Seat capacity grew to 110,615 from 27,521 in the preceding quarter as additional markets and frequencies were introduced in 5Q22.

During the period under review, sectors flown increased to 291 from 226  in 4Q22. Following its return to scheduled services in April 2022, it has made notable progress in network recovery – adding Sydney and two new dense-short-haul routes to Kota Kinabalu and Kuching to its network in September 2022. AAX increased flights to existing markets in Seoul and Delhi to cater for strong pent-up demand.

In terms of balance sheet and cash flow, the company charted a cash balance of MYR79.5 million for the period ending 30 September 2022 – an increase of beyond 100% as compared to MYR25.1 million in the preceding quarter. This was achieved predominantly on the back of a V-shaped air travel revival supporting the resumption of scheduled passenger flights to many of its most popular and profitable destinations, along with charter and cargo flights.

Commenting on the performance and outlook, AirAsia X Malaysia CEO Benyamin Ismail said: “AAX is now well on track in its recovery path even as the airline is compelled to operate in a challenging operational environment dictated by high fuel prices and a weakened Malaysian Ringgit against the US Dollar. While we are cautious of the strenuous operating conditions, we remain confident that the company’s recovery is on the horizon, if not already within our reach.

“In the previous quarter, we resumed our scheduled passenger flights to Seoul and Delhi. We are pleased to report that we have also resumed our services to Sydney and introduced additional frequencies to Seoul and Delhi in 5Q22. Due to high demand, AAX had also commenced operations on dense, short-haul routes during the quarter where demand has exceeded currently available aircraft capacity, namely Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. At the beginning of 5Q22, AAX was charting three flights per week, and this surged to 23 flights per week by the end of the period under review.

“In terms of average base fare, we continue to see a healthy trend of MYR625 during the quarter compared to sub-MYR500 pre-Covid-19. Despite a higher fare environment, we are confident of still providing the best-valued fares in our category in the market. We look forward to resuming services to more of our mid-range destinations in the coming months. Recently, we announced popular destinations, including Melbourne, Perth, Auckland, Tokyo-Haneda, Hokkaido-Sapporo, Jeddah and Bali-Denpasar. By the end of the year, we expect to be flying over 70 flights per week.

AAX operates a fleet of six A330s, down from nine aircraft. Two A330 aircraft were returned during the quarter under review. To meet strong consumer demand, the airline expects to increase its operating fleet to 13 A330 aircraft by the first half of the calendar year 2023.

AAX currently operates scheduled passenger flights to 11 destinations, namely Seoul, Delhi, Sydney, Auckland, Tokyo-Haneda, Jeddah, Melbourne, Perth, and Sapporo, in addition to several dense short-haul routes – Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, and Bali-Denpasar. By 2023, the company expects its network to return to most of its pre-Covid-19 markets and frequencies, with additional new routes to be announced soon.

Why a 5th quarter?

*AAX had on 18 August 2022 announced the change of its financial year end to 31 December 2022, covering a period of 18 months. This came on the back of completing its restructuring exercise to enhance the airline’s operations and recovery strategy, on top of recalibrating its focus on the revamped business plan.