BANGKOK, 23 June 2022: Thai AirAsia X reports robust bookings for flights to South Korea and Japan with the announcement of four routes connecting Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) to Seoul in South Korea and Tokyo, Osaka and Sapporo in Japan.
The carrier plans to offer daily flights on all routes by this October, claiming passenger traffic after returning to service this year at 300,000 pax with an average load factor at 85%, with a fleet of five Airbus A330s by the end of the year.
Thai AirAsia X CEO Patima Jeerapaet said: “With the improving Covid-19 situation, the airline has been able to reopen routes continually. The Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi)-Seoul route has proven to be hugely popular, with 95% of available seats pre-booked for June. Flights to Japan are next to resume following the Japanese government’s travel policy, with direct flights to Tokyo starting this July and followed Osaka and Sapporo in October 2022.”
By this October, the airline will fly daily from Suvarnabhumi to Seoul, Tokyo and Osaka. Flights to Sapporo will increase to four times a week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
Thai AirAsia X expects to close the year with 300,000 passengers for the remaining six months of 2022, contributing to an average load factor of over 85%. Thai AirAsia X plans to operate with a fleet of five Airbus A330 aircraft featuring 377 seats with 12 flatbed seats and 365 normal and Quiet Zone seats.
DUBAI, 23 June 2022: Emirates increased frequencies to introduce daily services to Mexico City (MEX) via Barcelona (BCN) as of today 23 June 2022.
Boosting its frequency from six times weekly to daily flights, Emirates will now increase its average capacity and offer around 2000 seats per week to and from the Mexican capital. The service will provide customers worldwide with more connectivity, flexibility and choice while planning their travel. With the rise in frequencies, travellers from Mexico will have ample choice to connect safely and seamlessly to Dubai and through Dubai to Emirates’ global network of over 130 destinations.
Emirates flight EK255 will depart Dubai at 03:25hrs, arriving in Barcelona at 085 before departing again at 1050 and arriving in Mexico City at 1605 the same day. On its return leg, Emirates flight EK 256 will depart Mexico City at 1940, arriving in Barcelona at 1345 the next day. EK256 will depart once again from Barcelona the same day at 1530, bound for Dubai, where it will arrive at 0015 the next day (all times are local).
Emirates’ high-quality, daily international air service supports business and leisure traffic into Mexico and onwards to destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean region. For Mexico, the UAE is a gateway to the Middle East. Citizens from Mexico, Spain and the UAE only need their passports to enjoy visa-free travel to each country. Emirates’ Mexico City flight is a linked service with Barcelona, meaning that customers can cover three destinations in one trip in distinctive style and comfort.
Dubai also continues to attract leisure travellers from South and Latin America with its ever-expanding list of experiences. Known for its eclectic mix of offerings, Dubai offers stays at some of the world’s best hotels, sightseeing at the city’s newest landmarks, and an abundance of other activities.
The Dubai-Barcelona-Mexico route is operated with a two-class Emirates Boeing 777-200LR offering 38 Business Class seats in a 2-2-2 configuration and 264 seats in Economy Class. Travellers flying between Dubai, Barcelona and Mexico can look forward to Emirates’ signature hospitality and spacious and comfortable seats. Emirates also offers its customers an unmatched culinary experience in the skies with regionally inspired multi-course menus developed by a team of award-winning chefs complemented by a wide selection of premium beverages. Customers can sit back and relax with more than 4,500 channels of carefully curated global entertainment content featuring movies, shows, music, and podcasts, including channels in Spanish and more, with ice, Emirates’ award-winning inflight entertainment system.
Emirates has been building up connectivity in response to growing customer demand on the back of rising travel confidence and the easing of international travel protocols. Returning to Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro on 2 November and launching into Tel Aviv on 23 June provides leisure and business travellers more choice as they return to the skies.
SINGAPORE, 23 June 2022:Travelport, a technology company that powers travel bookings for travel suppliers worldwide, and US-Bangla Airlines, a private airline in Bangladesh, have signed off on a distribution agreement that will support the airline’s aggressive growth plans.
Travelport is the first Global Distribution System (GDS) partner of US-Bangla Airlines and as part of the agreement, will provide agency customers access to the airline’s content via Travelport+, Travelport’s next-generation travel retailing platform.
US-Bangla Airlines managing director Mohammed Abdullah Al Mamun commented: “We have been extremely impressed with the collaborative spirit and flexibility demonstrated by Travelport. We are confident Travelport+ will provide US-Bangla Airlines and agencies the highest quality air content retailing experience.”
As travel industry recovery in Bangladesh is reaching pre-pandemic levels, this new relationship solidifies the value of modern, indirect channel retailing for airlines and agencies alike. Travelport agencies will benefit from seamless access to US-Bangla Airlines content, further enabling them to provide the most valuable, relevant offers for their travellers.
Travelport head of Air Partners Asia Pacific Sue Carter added: “This strategic partnership will provide both airlines and travellers with more attractive and customized offers, helping airlines to match traveller preferences with tailor-made bundles…we look forward to delivering great value for US-Bangla Airlines travellers and the agency community.”
SINGAPORE, 23 June 2022: Booking.com has launched its inaugural APAC Travel Confidence Index, which provides a snapshot of how confident consumers feel about exploring the world again and whether they would welcome inbound travel.
The commissioned research polled 11,000 travellers from 11 countries and territories¹ across Asia and Oceania between April and May 2022, combining this with the company’s proprietary data and insights as a digital travel leader over the past 25 years.
The Travel Confidence Index explores the overall comfort levels, motivators and concerns of consumers across the Asia Pacific and how this varies across the region. At the same time, while there is a strong overall desire to travel more sustainably, the research also sheds light on the more pragmatic considerations of travellers – such as cost and variety of sustainable stays – which impact whether sustainable intent ultimately translates into action.
As Asia starts to emerge from several years of strict border closures and lockdowns, the diversity in terms of consumer travel sentiment and confidence across the Asia Pacific has certainly become more pronounced, with key findings highlighted below.
Across the 11 markets polled, India emerged most confident, with 86% of Indian travellers stating they intend to travel in the next 12 months, followed closely by Vietnam and China. While North Asian markets of Korea, Taiwan and Japan ranked lower on the index in terms of overall confidence, travel intent among respondents remained relatively high (above 60%).
The research indicates that Indian, Vietnamese and Chinese respondents were most willing to put up with and/or overlook key travel deterrents in order to travel – which included enduring disruptions and travel costs, as well as confidence in their home countries/territories in receiving inbound travellers. Conversely, a majority of Japanese respondents (75%) expressed uncertainty about border reopenings, as well as their country’s preparedness to safely receive international travellers (82%). This uncertainty is reflective of the continued turbulence the COVID-19 pandemic has wrought on the travel industry and ultimately in the way consumers perceive travel.
Singapore ranked 6th on the Travel Confidence Index despite having some of the most eased border restrictions in comparison to many markets across the region. Key factors that impacted Singapore’s standing in the index included general aversion towards any disruptions to their travel (65%) alongside that of sharing personal information for public health and safety (57%) and personalisation (45%) – a key element in most countries’ Covid-19 management strategies.
When looking at how far Singaporeans would travel, 69% of respondents stated that they planned to take trips (up to 8 hours) to popular holiday destinations closer to homes, such as Thailand and Indonesia.
Top travel motivators
The desire to travel remains strong amongst Asia Pacific travellers overall, with ease of planning and booking travel, as well as cost, being the top two considerations. Both ranked consistently high across all markets, even as restrictions continue to ease around the region.
The desire to “just get away” (46%) also emerged as the top motivator to travel for APAC consumers after two years of lockdowns and a rapidly evolving travel landscape, followed closely by a “getaway to recharge mentally” for 36% of respondents. In fact, for Thailand, such retreats were the prime motivator for an overwhelming 76% of respondents, a percentage far higher than any other market.
Across the region, only 13% indicated that work was a reason for them to book a trip, despite many employees have returned to the office across the Asia Pacific, which could bode a slower revitalisation in corporate vs leisure travel. In Australia, work was the least common reason for travel at 6%.
Top travel deterrents
Uncertainty due to the constantly evolving Covid-19 situation continues to plague travellers. When asked about their top concerns and what would prevent them from booking a trip, ‘travel cost’ was listed as the number one deterrent by 38% of all respondents. This was followed by the ‘fear of having to undergo quarantine’ (37%) and the ‘possibility of getting stuck because of frequently changing border regulations’ (37%).
Top concerns for several destinations varied quite significantly. In Singapore, China and Hong Kong, the top concern was the possibility of getting stuck at the destination because of new border regulations (61%, 53%, 55%, respectively), while in Japan, the top concern of 47% of respondents was falling ill whilst travelling.
Interestingly, when asked whether travellers accepted disruptions as part and parcel of travel now, nearly half of Japanese (47%) and Korean (32%) respondents said no – the only two markets to do so.
Sustainable travel remains top of mind
According to Booking.com’s 2022 Sustainable Travel Report, 81% of global travellers affirm that sustainable travel is important to them, with 50% stating that recent news about climate change has influenced them to make more sustainable travel choices.
In APAC, India once again topped the index in terms of intent to travel sustainably, with 93% of respondents agreeing on the importance of making sustainable travel decisions. On the other hand, for travellers from markets such as Australia, New Zealand and Japan, cost and a wide variety of sustainable stay options are core considerations when making sustainable travel decisions.
SINGAPORE, 23 June 2022: A new passenger ferry service connecting Singapore’s Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal with Desaru Coast Ferry Terminal has gained route approval ahead of its launch on Thursday, 7 July, according to Desaru Coast Destination Resort Malaysia’s largest integrated destination.
The integrated resort issued a media statement together with its appointed ferry service operator, Desaru Link Ferry Services Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Batam Fast Ferry Pte Ltd (Batam Fast), on Wednesday.
Expressing her appreciation to the authorities in Malaysia and Singapore, Desaru Development Holdings One Sdn Bhd managing director and chief executive officer Roslina Arbak said: “We thank all government agencies for supporting and working closely with us to facilitate this new international connectivity, which will make Desaru Coast even more accessible to international travellers.
“This is a game-changer for the destination. It will enable us to unlock new market opportunities in all travel segments and at the same time, position Desaru Coast as an attractive hospitality investment to draw like-minded investors for our next phase of growth.”
During an initial launch period, Batam Fast will operate a single round trip service using a 330-passenger capacity ferry from Thursday to Sunday. The journey time is approximately 90 minutes per sector. Both the frequency of services and ferries capacity will increase as demand increases.
Batam Fast CEO Paul Gannaway said: “We are delighted to be in the position to commence our passenger ferry services to Desaru Coast Ferry Terminal in two weeks.
“Given the popularity of Desaru Coast and the south-eastern Johor region, we are confident the new international connectivity route will give holidaymakers a rewarding experience.”
To celebrate the launch, Desaru Coast will introduce special packages for its hotel stays and golf play & stay, including return ferry tickets when guests purchase directly from www.desarucoast.com.
With this reliable, fast and convenient travel option, guests coming from Singapore can now enjoy the flexibility of spending a few nights at Desaru Coast or making a quick day trip. To cater to day-trippers, Desaru Coast will launch a series of day packages, including return ferry tickets.
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia 23 June 2022: Destination Mekong has confirmed its inaugural lineup of executive board members following an election held at its first Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 3 June 2022.
Destination Mekong (DM) has its operational office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, following its incorporation as a registered company under Singapore’s Business Registration Act in January this year. The election of board members took place at a virtual AGM attended by full members and guests.
Eight candidates gained endorsement from a short-list of 15 candidates to join the Destination Mekong board for a two-year term.
They join five board members already appointed due to their “significant financial contribution” to Destination Mekong and three other board members who comprise the 16-person board.
Financial backers – five board members
Small Luxury Hotels of The World: Senior Vice President Asia Pacific Mark Wong. World Wildlife Fund (WWF): Regional Illegal Wildlife Trade Programme Manager for WWF-Greater Mekong Jedsada Taweekan. Enwoke: Professor at Guilin Tourism University Hailin Zhang. Chameleon Strategies: Managing Director Gerrit Kruger. Sasin School of Management: Director Dr Ian Fenwick.
Eight new board members
Duangmala Phommavong, Co-Founder and Partner EXO Travel Lao. Fréderic Tambon, Founder & CEO, Society and Fred, Expert in international marketing, tourism industry, and education. Guido Neil, Director of Special Operations 12Go. Mark Bibby Jackson, Founder Travel Begins at 40. Melita Koulmandas, CEO/Founder Song Saa Collective. Nguyen Tuan Linh, Owner Linh’s Adventures Travel Company Limited. Sasithara Pichaichannarong, Rector College of Tourism, Hospitality, and Sports, Rangsit University, Thailand RSU Vista Golf Course. Sophea Sok, Regional Programme Manager, Asia-Pacific Planeterra Foundation.
Three ex-officio board members
CEO of Yanna Ventures and outgoing; chairman of the Interim Board of Destination Mekong Willem Niemeijer. Destination Mekong CEO Catherine Germier-Hamel. Founder of Destination Mekong Jens Thraenhart.
SINGAPORE, 22 June 2022: The latest travel advisories warn travellers to give Myanmar a wide berth even though limited airline services have resumed, and travellers can again apply for an eVisa online to visit the country for 30 days.
In the latest update, the Australian travel advisory service warns, “we continue to advise you ‘do not travel’ to Myanmar due to ongoing civil unrest and armed conflict.”
The latest email bulletin advises travellers to remain aware of the security environment, exercise caution and monitor media closely.
As a rule, travellers are advised to avoid all public gatherings, protests and areas of known and possible unrest.
Although tour companies and hotels in Myanmar are hoping for a different outcome to allow them to recover business endeavours, the facts on the ground suggest otherwise. Constant threats of violence, including explosions and attacks, can occur anywhere and anytime, including in Yangon, the commercial capital.
Infrastructure, police and military vehicles, and security and administrative personnel have been the main targets. However, civilian institutions such as schools, petrol stations, supermarkets, restaurants, bars and shopping malls have also been targeted.
The advisory concludes: “Exercise caution in townships under martial law as curfews remain in place. There have been widespread arrests, including foreigners who could face the risk of arbitrary detention.”
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.
