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Maldives returns to MATTA Fair

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TTR WEEKLY
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KUALA LUMPUR, 21 March 2023: Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) led travel and tourism industry partners to present the Maldives as a preferred holiday destination during last week’s MATTA Fair at Kuala Lumpur’s MITEC exhibition centre.

MATTA 2023 provided service providers and the travel trade an opportunity to present holiday bargains to Malaysia’s travel consumers.

At the close of the event, MMPRC reported 11 industry partners participated in the fair alongside MMPRC, presenting holiday packages bundled with attractive airfares to resorts in the Maldives for travel consumers visiting the show

As of January 2023, the Maldives welcomed 3,398 tourists from Southeast Asia. In addition to its presence at MATTA 2023, MMPRC is planning several marketing activities, including Maldives Roadshow in Southeast Asia and a media familiarisation trip. MMPRC sponsors trips to the Maldives for travel bloggers and social media influencers.

MMPRC also represents the Maldives at major travel fairs in Southeast Asia, such as ADEX Ocean Mission 2023, NATAS Holidays 2023 and ITB Asia 2023.

MMPRC conducted 178 marketing activities, including over 90 marketing campaigns, attending 44 fairs, hosting six roadshows and 18 familiarisation trips during 2022.

Last year the Maldives welcomed 1.6 million visitors and was recognised as the ‘World’s Leading Destination’ for the third year at the 2022 World Travel Awards.

For more information, visit: www.visitmaldives.com.

(Your Stories: MMPRC)

Emirates embraces equity campaign

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 21 March 2023: With a clear mission to forge inclusive work cultures where women’s careers thrive, the Emirates Group focuses on the 2023 International Women’s Day theme of #EmbraceEquity year-round and providing company-wide access to ‘Unconscious Bias’ training.

Women at Emirates Group

More than 23,000 women are employed by the Emirates Group, representing 41% of the total workforce employed at Emirates worldwide and dnata in the UAE. Currently, almost 40% of middle and senior management positions across non-operational grades are held by women at Emirates Group.

Emirates recently demonstrated its commitment to gender balance by officially signing the UAE Gender Balance Council’s pledge, supporting the UAE government’s efforts to increase female representation in middle to senior management positions by 2025.

The pledge supports the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal to achieve gender equality, empowering all women and girls. As part of the pledge, the airline group agreed to support the UAE Gender Balance Council’s work by sharing data and best practices and maintaining an ongoing internal review of company policies, practices, and procedures.

Pay Equity

Emirates Group’s pay and benefits structures are free from gender bias, with remuneration offered based on skills and experience, regardless of gender or nationality.

Record Promotions for Women

Women at Emirates Group account for 56% of total promotions in the last 12 months, the highest figure to date. Emirates Group has many women in leadership roles who have received promotions and worked with the company for over a decade.

Access to World-Class Training

Emirates Group employees can access various educational courses, learning opportunities, and in-person training. All employees are directed to the ‘Unconscious Bias’ learning path on the newly launched Emirates ‘Future Skills’ portal.

The bespoke learning journey has six modules: Break the Bias, Valuing Intersectionality, Women’s Voices, Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Allyship and Culture of Belonging.

www.emirates.com

(Your Stories: Emirates)

TG reschedules ROP miles expiry

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 21 March 2023: Thai Airways Internation has extended the expiry deadline for Royal Orchid Plus (ROP), the airline’s frequent flyer programme.

The airline announced it would automatically extend ROP miles expiring in 2023.

Extensions differ by the quarter

Miles expiring at the end of Q1 (31 March) to Q3 (30 September)  will now be extended for 12 months.
Miles due to expire on 31 March 2023 will be extended to 31 March 2024.
Miles due to expire on 30 June 2023 will be extended to 30 June 2024.
Miles due to expire on 30 September 2023 will be extended to 30 September 2024.

ROP miles expiring at the end of Q4 2023 will be extended for nine months.
Miles due to expire on 31 December 2023 will be extended to 30 September 2024.

In addition, the Platinum and Gold members, whose status will expire in 2023, will be extended for one year to 2024 (subject to personal card expiry date). ROP members can continue with the Cash Plus Miles scheme as another ticket payment option to spend miles and cash while they can also earn ROP miles. 

For more information, visit www.thaiairways.com/rop

AirAsia ups international flights from Chiang Mai

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TTR WEEKLY
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CHIANG MAI, 21 March 2023: Thai AirAsia serves six international destinations from its Chiang Mai hub with daily flights starting 26 March.

Flights to the six destinations – Hanoi and Danang, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei and Kuala Lumpur – resumed late last year. Now, the airline has increased frequencies to daily to all six destinations.

AirAsia station manager Chiang Mai Surapun Homkajorn said: “AirAsia’s Chiang Mai hub currently has four aircraft in operation, serving both domestic and international routes. By the end of March, Thai AirAsia will fly directly from Chiang Mai to Hong Kong in preparation for Songkran,” Surapun explained.

A promotional fare of THB1,800 was introduced last week to boost bookings on the daily flights.

Golden Triangle airport opens this year

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TTR WEEKLY
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VIENTIANE, Laos, 21 March 2023: Construction of a new airport bang in the middle of the Golden Triangle where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar meet will open this year, according to a report last week by AeroLaos.

Named Bokeo International Airport and located in Tonpheung district, almost within sight of the Mekong River and the Thai town of Chiang Saen, the completed runway extends for 2,500 metres and is 60 metres wide. That makes the runway wide enough for an A380 to taxi down, but the length limits take offs to the smaller A350. The airport will be designated level 4C. 

Lao Airlines has already conducted test flights using ATR72 aircraft.

Located in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone, the airport complex, including the passenger terminal, parking areas and cargo bays, will cover 300ha.

The passenger terminal will initially have a capacity for 600 passengers, but when fully operational, it could accommodate between 1.5 to 2 million passengers a year.

The airport is close to a massive casino project and high-rise condominiums built by Chinese investors. Once completed, flights from Kunming will ferry Chinese punters and tourists to the casino. They previously flew to Chiang Rai’s airport and transferred the 80 km to the border before crossing the Mekong River by ferry to the casino complex.

Technically it will be the second airport in Bokeo province that borders the Mekong River and Thailand. The other one is at Huay Xai, facing Chiang Khong town in Thailand and just a few kilometres from the Lao Thai Friendship bridge. Huay Xai airport was served by domestic flights until the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020 and is now closed to commercial flights.

Land preparation for the Borkeo International Airport was started in 2015, but construction hit numerous snags, the latest linked to the Covid-19 lockdown.

In 2022, Vientiane Times reported the construction cost had exceeded USD175 million, financed by the Hong Kong-based Greater Bay Area Investment and Development (HK) Limited, a Dok Ngiew Kham Group member.

While aviation officials in Laos talk up the role of the new airport as a tool to boost tourism to the country, its initial priority will be to revive casino tourism by flying in Chinese punters. Still, in the long run, it could be used to develop direct airline routes from other Southeast Asian cities for tourists keen to explore Northern Laos and possibly cross the river border and visit Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai in Thailand.

The passenger terminal can handle up to 600 people and, when fully operational, is expected to accommodate 1.5 to 2 million passengers a year.

Skytrax top airport award goes to Changi

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 21 March 2023: Singapore Changi Airport has been named World’s Best Airport 2023 at the World Airport Awards that were held at Passenger Terminal EXPO in Amsterdam, Netherlands, last week.

Singapore Changi Airport also received the 2023 awards for the World’s Best Airport Dining, the Best Airport for Leisure Amenities and the Best Airport in Asia.

Yam Kum Weng, EVP, Airport Development, Changi Airport Group (left) and Lee Seow Hiang, CEO of Changi Airport Group (centre), receiving the Skytrax World’s Best Airport Award from Edward Plaisted, CEO of Skytrax (right).

Changi Airport Group chief executive officer Lee Seow Hiang said: “Changi Airport is honoured to be named World’s Best Airport for the 12th time. This recognition is a great encouragement to our airport community, who stood firmly together to battle the challenges of Covid-19 over the past two years.”

Commenting on the awards, Skytrax’s Edward Plaisted noted: “After being severely hit during the Covid-19 pandemic, it is pleasing to note that passenger numbers at Changi Airport are now at about 80% of pre-Covid-19 levels, and expected to return to pre-pandemic levels by 2024. This recognition for Changi Airport is from the airport customers and underlines the airport’s popularity with international air travellers”.

Operating since 2000, the World Airport Awards are independent and provide a global customer satisfaction study that assesses customer service and facilities across over 550 airports.

The awards are based on the World Airport Survey questionnaires completed by over 60 nationalities of airport customers during the survey period, which operated from August 2022 to February 2023.

SQ and Scoot report robust February traffic

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 21 March 2023: Singapore Airlines Group reports passenger traffic and load factors remained robust across all route regions during February 2023.

In its operating results posted on its website Monday, the airline group reported that lifting travel restrictions in China boosted the demand for air travel and supported a recovery in the market.

Group passenger capacity was 10.7% lower in February 2023 than the previous month and was 71% of pre-Covid-19 levels. This was mainly attributable to February being a shorter month and the cessation of supplementary flights after the year-end peak travel season.

SIA and Scoot carried 2.4 million passengers in February (-8.8% month-on-month, and more than four times the number of passengers carried in February 2022), while the group’s passenger load factor (PLF) reached 86.6% during the month (-0.3 percentage points month-on-month, +47.5 percentage points year-on-year). SIA and Scoot posted monthly PLFs of 85.1% and 91.6%, respectively.

During the month, Scoot resumed services to Qingdao. At the end of February 2023, the group’s passenger network covered 113 destinations in 36 countries and territories. SIA served 77 destinations, while Scoot served 59 destinations.

Sabah’s new branding cranks up tourism

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TTR WEEKLY
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KUALA LUMPUR, 20 March 2023: Sabah Tourism’s new destination brand tagline, “Feel Sabah, North Borneo”, made its debut at the MATTA Travel Fair last week, gearing up the growth of domestic tourism, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Christina Liew told the media during the fair.

She stressed that domestic tourism remains vital to spurring Sabah’s economic growth while welcoming international tourists worldwide.

Citing statistics from Sabah Tourism Board’s  Research Division, Liew said domestic travellers contributed two-thirds of the tourism arrivals in Sabah before the Covid-19 pandemic.

“For the pre-pandemic scenario, the total tourism arrivals in Sabah reached 4.19 million visitors in 2019. That year, domestic tourism contributed 2.72 million arrivals, while the figure for international arrivals stood at 1.47 million visitors.”

Visit: www.sabahtourism.com.

(Your Stories: Sabah Tourism Board)

Sarawak presents eco-travel options

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TTR WEEKLY
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KUALA LUMPUR, 20 March 2023: Sarawak Tourism Board presented various tourism promotions with its 13 participating partners at the MATTA Fair 2023 last week, held at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) Kuala Lumpur.

The Sarawak pavilion highlighted the state’s main attractions – culture, adventure, nature, food and festivals, distributing attractive tour packages from as low as MYR250 for a three-day, two-night stay.

Sarawak tourism officials estimated that more than 10,000 travel consumers visited the pavilion out of around 250,000 MATTA visitors over the three-day show that closed Friday evening.

Green travel options topped Sarawak’s presentations to show-goers including the iconic UNESCO world heritage site – Gunong Mulu National Park, authentic village homestay and Damai Beach Resort.

This year’s Rainforest World Music Festival will be held from 23 to 25 June at Sarawak Cultural Village. The aim is to transform the event into a sustainable, eco-friendly festival for the RWMF that will set the tone for festivals nationwide.

For more information visit: www.sarawaktourism.com.

(Your Stories: Sarawak Tourism Board)

CAL restores daily Ontario flights

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 20 March 2023: China Airlines will fully restore daily flights between Southern California’s Ontario International Airport (ONT) and Taipei beginning 26 March, airport officials announced last week.

The daily nonstop flights will connect ONT and Taoyuan International Airport (TPE), marking a major milestone in Ontario’s recovery of international air service, suspended at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic nearly three years ago.

China Airlines will resume daily service to and from Southern California’s Ontario International Airport later this month.

After suspending service in March 2020, China Airlines resumed ONT-TPE flights in June 2021, gradually increasing service levels as demand returned.

China Airlines will replace an Airbus A350-900 with the larger Boeing 777-300ER, increasing seat capacity on the route from 306 to 358 across premium, business, premium economy and economy classes. The daily service connects with flights to major Asian cities in its regional network.

TPE is northern Taiwan’s primary international gateway for more than 9 million residents. In comparison, ONT has more than 10 million Southern California residents in the catchment area of San Bernardino, Riverside, northern Orange and eastern Los Angeles counties.

About Ontario International Airport

Ontario International Airport (ONT) is located 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The airport serves airlines flying nonstop commercial jet service to more than two dozen major airports in the US, Mexico, Central America and Taiwan.

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