SINGAPORE, 22 June 2022: Air Canada has confirmed it will fly direct flights from Vancouver to Bangkok starting 1 December, according to the Points Guy a specialised news site for frequent flyers.
Air Canada confirmed Monday it had scheduled seasonal flights from 1 December 2022 to 17 April 2023 from its Vancouver International Airport (YVR) hub to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK).
The service will use a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner for the four times weekly flights. They mark the return of direct Canada – Thailand flights after a gap of more than 20 years.
According to the Points Guy report, the westbound flight, AC65 will depart Vancouver at 2300 and arrive in Bangkok at 0555 two days later (due to local times). The eastbound flight, AC66, will depart Bangkok at 0830. and will arrive at 0635 (same day) in Vancouver. The flight theoretically arrives before it departs due to crossing the International Date Line.
Points Guy said: “The new flight will be a welcome addition for travellers, particularly those loyal to the Star Alliance, looking to get between North America and Thailand.
“Most itineraries between North America and Thailand currently require a stop in East Asia, generally at Incheon International Airport (ICN) near Seoul or at one of Tokyo’s two airports – Narita International Airport (NRT) or Haneda Airport (HND).”
MANILA, 22 June 2022: The Philippines’ TourismPHL campaign is promoting the country’s second-largest province, Isabela inviting international tourists to explore its adventure opportunities.
The campaign promotes a video introducing the adventure travel options at the Ilagan Sanctuary, where tourists can ride a cable car and embark on hiking, trekking and caving. The sanctuary also delivers tree-top adventure, rappelling, horseback riding, and ziplining.
In the blurb introducing the video post on YouTube, travellers are invited to learn more about organic farming ways at Gonzaga Farm. Or they can take a short pilgrimage at Dariuk Hills and go back in time at Balay na Santiago where you can take a peek at the province’s heritage. Then finish off the adventure and try their sticky rice delicacy, Patupat!
According to Wikipedia, Isabela is the second largest province in the Philippines, located in the Cagayan Valley region in Luzon. Its capital is the city of Ilagan. Neighbouring provinces are Cagayan to the north, Kalinga to the northwest, Mountain Province to the central-west, Ifugao and Nueva Vizcaya to the southwest, Quirino and Aurora to the south, and the Philippine Sea to the east.
Tourism attractions
Since the early 2000s, tourism has grown to become a significant income-generating industry for Isabela. New hotels and resorts have opened, mostly in the cities of Ilagan, Cauayan and Santiago, and the towns of Tumauini, Gamu, Roxas, Alicia, Burgos, Ramon, San Mariano and Cordon.
Top tourist attractions are the centuries-old churches; Magat Dam Tourism Complex, which houses Southeast Asia’s biggest dam; Santa Victoria Caves, Pinzal Falls and Ilagan Sanctuary at Fuyot National Park; the white sand beaches in the coastal municipalities of Maconacon, Divilacan, Palanan, Dinapigue and islands of coastal Isabela. The world’s biggest wooden lounge chair or butaka resides in Ilagan City. Various festivals and fiestas are celebrated in the province, including the annual Bambanti Festival celebrated every February and the commemoration of the province’s founding during Isabela Day every May.
Airports
There are five airports, but Cauayan Airport is the primary airport in the province serving flights from Manila, Palanan, and Maconacon. Cebu Pacific is the main airline serving the Cauayan-Manila-Cauayan route.
KOTA KINABALU, 22 June 2022: Sabah’s tourism recovery efforts are showing signs of success with a growing number of direct international and domestic flights to the state.
While domestic flight connectivity is back in full swing, Sabah’s Tourism, Culture, and Environment Assistant Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said international connectivity is also making great strides to make Sabah accessible within the Southeast Asia region.
“I am pleased to inform you that our domestic connection is expanding, with 389 weekly flights now available since the interstate travel was lifted late last year and the international border reopened in April this year. There used to be 445 weekly flights before the pandemic.
“To date, Sabah has welcomed five direct international flights, and we will receive two more direct flights from Incheon, South Korea, to Kota Kinabalu next week.
“We are also expecting a Bangkok-Kota Kinabalu direct flight to resume soon. This is indeed an extremely positive scene for the Sabah tourism industry,” he said at the launching of Bazaar MATTA 2022 at the Sunway Velocity Mall last week.
Present at the launching were Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) President Datuk Tan Kok Liang; Tourism Malaysia’s Senior Director of Domestic and Events Iskandar Mirza Mohd Yusof; and Sabah Tourism Board Chief Marketing Officer Tay Shu Lan, among others.
The airlines that currently operate direct international flights to Kota Kinabalu are Air Asia (via Manila and Singapore), Scoot (via Singapore), Royal Brunei Airlines (via Brunei), and Jin Air (via Incheon).
For domestic travel, Kota Kinabalu has direct flights from Kota Bharu, Kuala Terengganu, Penang, Johor Bahru, and Kuala Lumpur. Both Sandakan and Tawau are also easily accessible from Kuala Lumpur.
Additionally, there has been a progressive growth in domestic and foreign visitors to Sabah, with preliminary figures showing an estimated 408,530 arrivals between January and April this year.
Compiled by the Sabah Tourism Board, the estimated figure includes 392,968 domestic and 15,562 international tourists.
“This estimate represents a 412% increase over the same period last year. For us, this is already a promising indicator of people’s desire to return to Sabah, to travel and discover new places,” said Joniston, who also chairs Sabah Tourism Board.
He also commended the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) for hosting the Bazaar MATTA event, particularly for spotlighting Sabah and bringing it to the fore.
“Even though the Bazaar MATTA is a smaller travel fair compared to the usual MATTA fair, the fact that 30-based travel agents are taking part this weekend is a good sign that the event is just as important.
“Sabah packages were in high demand at recent travel exhibitions… On that note, Sabah Tourism Board encourages potential visitors to always use licensed travel agents when booking and arranging a vacation to ensure safety,” added Joniston.
Sabah promoted a wide range of domestic travel and tourism packages, with attractive prizes to be won, including flight tickets to Kota Kinabalu, Tawau, and Sandakan during the two-day Bazaar MATTA.
Visitors are also entitled to MYR100 Boost vouchers to be used for travel with several participating agents.
Meanwhile, Tan said the Bazaar was MATTA’s first pilot project, adding they would highlight other states by bringing in respective travel agents as part of their initiative to boost domestic travel.
“We have chosen to highlight Sabah first because tourism is one of their key sectors. There has been an increasing demand for Sabah and its rural destinations,” he said.
DOHA, 22 June 2022: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called for governments to urgently put in place large-scale incentives to rapidly expand the use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) as aviation pursues its commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
To fulfil aviation’s net-zero commitment, current estimates are for SAF to account for 65% of aviation’s carbon mitigation in 2050. That would require an annual production capacity of 449 billion litres. Investments are in place to expand SAF annual production from the current 125 million litres to 5 billion by 2025. With effective government incentives, production could reach 30 billion litres by 2030, which would be a tipping point for SAF production and utilisation.
“Governments don’t need to invent a playbook. Incentives to transition electricity production to renewable sources worked. As a result, clean energy solutions are now cheap and widely available. With similar incentives for SAF, we could see 30 billion litres available by 2030. Though still far from where we need to be, it would be a clear tipping point towards our net-zero ambition of ample SAF quantities at affordable prices,” said IATA’s director general Willie Walsh at the 78th IATA Annual General Meeting in Doha, Qatar.
In 2021, irrespective of price (SAF is between two and four times the price of conventional jet fuel), airlines have purchased every drop of the 125 million litres of SAF that was available. And already, more than 38 countries have SAF-specific policies that clear the way for the market to develop. Taking their cue from these policy measures, airlines have entered into USD17 billion of forward-purchasing agreements for SAF.
Incentives to Ramp-up Production
Further investment in production needs support from the right policies. This would boost supply and drive down costs.
Electricity production through solar or wind power faced similar hurdles as these technologies replaced fossil fuels. With effective policy incentives, both are now affordable and widely available.
By applying similar incentive-based policies to SAF, governments can support global SAF production to reach 30 billion litres by the decade’s end. This would be a tipping point as it would signal to the market that SAF is playing its intended long-term role in aviation’s decarbonisation and encourage investments to drive up production and drive down the price.
The market for SAF needs stimulation on the production side. The United States is setting an example for others to follow. Its SAF production is expected to reach 11 billion litres in 2030 due to heavy government incentives.
Europe, on the other hand, is the example not to follow. Under its Fit for 55 initiative, the EU is planning to mandate that airlines uplift 5% SAF at every European airport by 2030. Decentralising production will delay the development of economies of scale. And forcing the land transport of SAF will reduce the environmental benefit of using SAF.
Other Propulsion Technologies
Hydrogen and electrically powered aircraft are part of aviation’s plan to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, but they are likely to be limited to short-haul routes. SAF is the proven solution for long-haul flying.
“Hydrogen and/or electric propulsion systems will most likely be available for short-haul commercial flights by 2035, but the majority of emissions come from long-haul widebody flights and to tackle these emissions, SAF is the only proven solution. We know it works, and we need to double down our efforts to get all actors of the industry on board, including governments, to increase production, availability, and uptake,” said Sebastian Mikosz, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Environment and Sustainability.
Net Zero and Long-Term Aspirational Goal
In October 2021, IATA member airlines came together and took the monumental decision to commit to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. This commitment brings the industry in line with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal. Climate change is the greatest threat facing our societies and achieving net-zero emissions will be a huge challenge as the expected scale of the industry in 2050 will require the mitigation of 1.8 gigatons of carbon.
To provide the right set of consistent policies and long-term stability needed for investments, the aviation industry is calling on all governments to support the adoption of a long-term climate goal for air transport at the 41st Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) this September, aligned with industry commitments. This climate goal is critical to back up the industry’s decarbonisation ambitions and would provide a global multilateral framework for action without distorting competition.
BANGKOK, 22 June 2022: Thai Airways International will introduce flights on the Bangkok-Jeddah route starting from 19 August 2022 in response to the recent mending of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Saudi Arabia.
In a media statement introducing the new service, the airline said it would “help enhance tourism between the countries, and Saudi Arabia is a major connecting hub in the Middle East for travellers heading for Indochina, Australia, and Southeast Asia.”
Starting on 19 August, THAI will operate four weekly flights between Bangkok-Jeddah every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday with the following flight details:
-Flight TG503 Bangkok-Jeddah will depart from Bangkok at 1845 and arrive in Jeddah at 2240 (local time);
-Flight TG504 Jeddah-Bangkok will depart from Jeddah at 0040 (local time) and arrive in Bangkok at 1310.
The service will connect with regional flights to Southeast Asian cities and Australia.
BANGKOK, 22 June 2022: AirAsia Thailand (FD) has launched its first international flight from Suvarnabhumi Airport, becoming the only low-fare airline to fly direct from Suvarnabhumi (BKK) to Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Malaysia.
The Thai airline serves the route with two flights daily, while AirAsia Malaysia flies a daily service from Don Mueang Airport (DMK) to Kuala Lumpur.
AirAsia Thailand CEO Santisuk Klongchaiya said: “AirAsia currently operates three routes from the airport, flying to Chiang Mai, Phuket and Krabi. Starting in June, AirAsia is, for the first time, flying internationally from its base at Suvarnabhumi airport to Kuala Lumpur, which is an important economic hub that offers both business and leisure.”
He said the move was part of AirAsia Thailand’s strategy to revive tourism by offering connections with the airline’s flights to Phuket, Chiang Mai and Krabi for Malaysian and other international travellers.
AirAsia now offers two choices for flights between Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. A Don Mueang-Kuala Lumpur flight operates daily, served by AirAsia Berhad (AK), and two daily flights operate on the Suvarnabhumi-Kuala Lumpur route served by Thai AirAsia (FD).
SINGAPORE, 21 June 2022: Europ Assistance announced Tuesday the international findings of its 21st edition of the Holiday Barometer.
Travel expectations are increasing significantly compared to last year, with levels higher than in 2019. In Southeast Asia, the study shows that 69% of Thais intend to travel from June to September, which represents a 25 percentage point increase compared to 2021.
Europ Assistance Group Head of International Travel Julia Ricks says, “This year’s travel intentions reflect a real excitement for travel, overpassing pre-pandemics levels. Compared to 2021, we observe a significant return to international travel and higher average holiday budgets, supported by a significant decrease in Covid-19 related issues favouring air trips and destinations like cities.”
“Ongoing inflation hasn’t stopped but contained this travel enthusiasm after two years of restrictions, but inflation is the most significant travel concern this year. Booking anticipations and the importance of being more covered with trip insurance appear as new habits of holidaymakers that could become durable,” Ricks added.
The average holiday budget should be higher than in 2021, but this increase is limited by the inflation context.
Holidaymakers report a higher travel budget this year than they did in 2021: Americans intend to spend an additional USD440 for a global budget of around USD2,760 (+19% vs 2021). In Europe, the expected holiday budget is around EUR1,800 (+220€, +14% vs 2021). And for the holiday budget, Thais intend to spend strongly with an increase vs 2021 of 18% (THB62,800).
Concerns about inflation and prices increases are much present in peoples’ minds in 2022 and impact the desire to travel this year: it is the case for 69% of Europeans, 62% of Americans, 70% of Canadians, 63% of Australians and 77% of Thais, who say being impacted by this issue. Moreover, financial considerations are mentioned as one of the main reasons not to travel by 41% of Europeans who won’t be going on a trip from June to September (+14pts vs 2021), 45% of Americans (+9pts) and 34% of Thais (+10pts).
While Covid-19 is still a consideration for travellers, it has receded as a concern.
Overall, the global level of concerns regarding all covid-19 related topics is decreasing compared to last year, especially on travel and leisure plans. For 53% of Europeans and 46% of Americans, COVID-19 has an impact on their enthusiasm regarding travel. It is still exceptionally high among the Canadians or the Aussies (60%) and even more among the Thai population (81%).
When they think about their next trip, health issues have still the greatest impact on the Thai respondents’ enthusiasm, followed closely by inflation, even though the level of concern regarding Covid-19-related topics is decreasing. When travelling, Thais are still cautiously picking their destination by avoiding certain countries and favouring destinations nearby.
When thinking about their next trip, for example, Thai respondents still felt concerned about issues related to the health and the Covid crisis, but to a lesser extent than last year. The desire to travel internationally drove the will to get vaccinated.
In almost all countries, the average levels of booking anticipation rose, with far more people booking their holidays sooner than last year than people doing it later. Holidaymakers from Thailand are among the most organized, as more than 50% have already secured at least part of their trip
Covid-19 may also have impacted durably travel insurance habits, as being more covered with travel insurance is the travel habit that appears to be the most durable in almost all countries surveyed. These levels are especially high in the Asia Pacific (Thailand 75%, Australia 54%), in the UK (49%) or in southern Europe (Spain 50%, Italy and Portugal 45%).
Above all, a return to international travel is observed in all the countries: 48% (+13pts) of Europeans, 36% (+11pts) of Americans and 56% (+7pts) of Thais intend to travel abroad from June to September. It is mainly the case in the countries where holidaymakers are more used to travelling abroad: British (+24 pts), Swiss (+7pts) and Belgians (+7pts) will be less homey and will travel more internationally.
When choosing to travel abroad, Thai holidaymakers mostly opt for neighbouring countries, with favourite destinations being Japan followed by South Korea and Singapore. Weather and already knowing the destination are the most important criteria in choosing the destination for Thai respondents. They also plan to choose their destination according to the health risk, including coronavirus infection.
As international travel increases, holidaymakers adjust their mode of transportation. Overall, the two favourite means remain the plane and the car (46% and 45% of Thais prefer these two modes of transportation).
Back to normal?
When asked about the return to “normal conditions” of travel, perceptions vary a lot from one country to another. Australians, Austrians and Thais are the most pessimistic, with half of them thinking the situation will come back to normal in 2024, after, or even never. On the contrary, Poles, Czech and Swiss are the most optimistic, with nearly four out of 10 saying it is already possible.
SINGAPORE, 21 June 2022: Barcelona is a perfect city for spending a few days with the smallest members of the family. You’ll find museums that are ideal for children, amusement parks they’ll never want to leave, and shows that will leave them spellbound. These are just a few things you can do in the Catalan capital as a family. Choose the one you like best – or why not enjoy them all?
Have fun in the leisure and amusement parks
You’re sure to love El Poble Espanyol, an open-air leisure park located on the mountain of Montjüic that was built for the 1929 Universal Exposition. It’s an architectural museum with full-scale replicas of 117 buildings from different regions in Spain. You’ll see a typical Andalusian neighbourhood, Romanesque monasteries, and much more. What’s more, there are craft workshops, exhibitions, music for children, etc.
In the highest part of the city, you’ll find the famous Tibidabo Amusement Park. This is an ideal spot for a snapshot of the whole family with the city of Barcelona in the background – the views are simply stunning. There are attractions for all ages, and the park can be reached by taking the funicular railway.
Want more ideas? Catalonia in Miniature and the Animated Forest: a multi-adventure park with zip lines and exhibitions of models of different places in Catalonia, located around 20 kilometres from the city centre.
And if you’re adrenaline junkies, you mustn’t miss the chance to visit the famous Port Aventura World theme park (right by Ferrari Land and the Caribe Aquatic Park). Although it’s about 100 kilometres from the city, the transport links are excellent and – you’ll absolutely love it!
Discover the city’s monuments and artists
La Pedrera and Casa Batlló are two of the most famous monuments in Barcelona. And they both organise cultural activities specifically for children. La Pedrera aims to teach children something about its history through interactive games and handicrafts, while Casa Batlló looks to bring Gaudí and the history of art alive with theatrical activities and exhibitions.
Barcelona also offers you an immersive experience – the G-Experiencia. Augmented reality activities where the little ones (and the not-so-little ones) can learn all about Antoni Gaudí. 4D films, impressive models, interactive screens, exhibitions and endless different ideas.
Get up close and personal with the animals
On the one hand, you have the Aquarium, an oceanarium that’s unique in Europe where exciting experiences await, such as taking a dip with sharks.
And then there’s the Barcelona City Zoo, home to a huge variety of plant and animal life, everything from pygmy hippos and red pandas to meerkats. The zoo organises educational experiences so that children can get to know more about these species at close quarters. Exploring the African savannah with the zoo’s educators, for example.
Museums: A chance to learn
CosmoCaixa is a perfect place to learn as a family. Not just the children but the whole family will marvel at the interactive installations, space exhibitions and science-related workshops.
If you’re passionate about music, very close to the Sagrada Familia you’ll find the Music Museum, where you can learn how to make musical instruments and listen to rhythms that will whisk you away to the furthest corners of the planet.
Or maybe you’re looking for something rather sweeter? In that case, pay the Chocolate Museum a visit. The children can learn about the origins of chocolate and take part in a wide variety of workshops.
Other places the smallest members of the family will love are the Big Fun Museum (with ball pits and 3D installations) and the Wax Museum (with waxworks of iconic historical figures).
Enter the world of “urban nature”
Is there anything children like better than solving mysteries and finding the answers to riddles? The Parc del Laberint d’Horta, the oldest garden in the city of Barcelona, is a great place to while away the time. Reckon you can find the way out of the maze?
Another of Barcelona’s authentic natural beauties is its Botanical Gardens, a riot of different colours depending on the time of year. It’s located on the mountain of Montjüic, and its mission is to showcase the hundreds of species of plants that live there.
Park Güell is not to be missed. A ceramic dragon has long been one of the park’s main attractions, so you can set the children the task of finding it. The dragon stairway, the hall of the hundred columns and dozens of mosaics promise to make your visit to the park an unforgettable one.
Get away from it all on the Barcelona coast
If you fancy spending a fun day on Barcelona’s beaches and in the surrounding area, there are lots of water sports to choose from, such as paddleboarding, scuba diving, jet skiing and kayaking. You might also like to take a boat trip along the city’s coastline in a typical golondrina.
If you’re adrenaline junkies, then parasailing is definitely something for you. A small canopy, rather like a parachute, will allow you to fly along the coast and admire all the splendours of the city from the up on high.
As you can see, there’s no chance of getting bored in Barcelona! What’s more, if you’re visiting is a short one, remember that there’s always the Barcelona Tourist Bus. You can hop on and hop off as many times as you like and choose to visit only those places that really grab the children’s attention.
Looking for another interesting way of getting around the city? Then try the Montjüic Cable Car. It runs for 750 metres, starting out from the bottom of the park, and finishing its journey at Montjuïc Castle.
KOTA KINABALU, 21 June 2022: Andrea Filmer has always wanted to bring her family to visit Sabah. That wish was made possible after she won the #flymetosabah virtual letter contest, leading her to win a travel voucher to Sabah worth MYR5,000.
Hailing from Penang, Andrea was the second main winner of the campaign after she posted a video on her Facebook page about her kid’s interest in visiting Sabah.
Sabah Tourism organized the ‘Fly Me To Sabah’ contest from 14 February to 14 April 2022. Through this contest, participants were required to post their virtual letters to Sabah Tourism via Facebook and Instagram and use the required hashtags to win their ‘bucket list’ holiday.
“The #flymetosabah campaign has shown a promising result with a total of 245 eligible entries at the end of the campaign. Our team also ran a mini #flymetosabah Matta Fair edition held recently on the 9-10 April 2022 at the World Trade Center, Kuala Lumpur,” said Noredah Othman, Chief Executive Officer of Sabah Tourism Board.
“The campaign has been able to stimulate domestic travel demands, especially since our international border was not open until 1 April 2022”, she added.
Arrival statistics for March 2022 showed an increased number of domestic visitors to Sabah with a total of 119,399 arrivals that made up 50.9% of the total domestic arrival for the same month pre-Covid-19 pandemic in 2019.
“I remember the day when the 14th March winner was announced. I was making lunch and checking my phone on and off. I remember thinking that I shouldn’t get my hopes up and then chiding myself for that very thought as it’s okay to hope and pray for the things you want. Even so, later in the afternoon, when I saw myself tagged by the SABAH, Malaysian Borneo social media account, I could barely believe my eyes. There was a lot of yelling and cheering going around, and all three kids started chanting, “We are going to Sabah!” quoted Andrea to Sabah Tourism Board.
Andrea, with her husband, Chong Han Yao and their three children, aged 5 to 8, recently returned from their bucket list Sabah holiday. They were in Sabah for four days visiting various attractions around the West Coast. Among the places that they visited were Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, Klias Wetland, experiencing the North Borneo sunset cruise and city tours.
“I think our visit was amazing. All our three kids are very different, but across the whole trip, Kota Kinabalu offered us so many unique things that each kid took to at different times. For our youngest, it was snorkelling at the TARP islands and getting a glimpse at what lives under the sea. Our middle child remains thrilled at seeing a live crocodile at the Klias river and having his fill on the North Borneo Cruise ship. Our daughter loved the food and all the places that allowed her to be in the water.”
The #flymetosabah campaign has awarded four main winners with the most creative, unique, and exciting ‘letter’. Eighty (80) participants received Sabah Tourism’s limited merchandise items.
The three other winners of #flymetosabah are Marcel George from Sarawak, Zaki Yusof from Kuala Lumpur, and Siti Rohayu Aziz from Selangor. They are scheduled to travel to Sabah between June to September.
The Sabah Tourism Board, generally known as Sabah Tourism, is an agency of the Sabah State Government operating under the purview of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment. Sabah Tourism was first established in August 1976 as the Sabah Tourism Promotion Corporation and later re-established as Sabah Tourism Board.
SINGAPORE, 21 June 2022: The 151st International Air Transport Association (IATA) Slot Conference will touch down at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) this November, welcoming more than 1000 aviation delegates representing 230 airlines.
They will meet at the MCEC from 15 to 18 November this year, delivering an estimated AUD4.7 million boost to Melbourne and Victoria’s economy.
The bi-annual conference will see airlines and airports negotiate global flight schedules and air traffic control management.
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre chief executive Peter King said: “MCEC is thrilled to have the opportunity to bring both these sectors together and welcome international visitors to our venue and show them what the City of Melbourne and we have to offer.”
