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AirAsia resumes direct flights to Vientiane

KUALA LUMPUR, 28 March 2024: AirAsia Malaysia (AK) will resume flights on the Kuala Lumpur-Vientiane route starting 2 July 2024 with a twice-weekly service on Tuesday and Saturday.

This marks a significant milestone as AirAsia Malaysia becomes the only airline offering direct flights to all 10 ASEAN countries.  Vientiane is the last piece of the jigsaw without a direct flight from Kuala Lumpur since 2020.

AirAsia’s network covers a region home to about 800 million people, and its low-cost fares facilitate connectivity, fostering economic growth and cultural exchange as more people can fly than ever before. 

As the biggest low-cost airline in ASEAN regarding passenger volume, the airline plays a crucial role in the region’s economic development. Its significant spillover effects contribute to job creation, increase tourist spending, and benefit other sectors.

The resumption of twice-weekly flights to Vientiane, the capital city of Laos, will contribute to regional connectivity in line with the Lao government’s aim to attract 2.7 million foreign tourists in 2024. In 2019, AirAsia flew close to 50,000 guests between Kuala Lumpur and Vientiane, solidifying its position as the top airline for this route.

Group CEO of AirAsia Aviation Group, Bo Lingam commented: “ASEAN is where our brand and footprint is the strongest, and we are proud to be a truly ASEAN airline with the resumption of this route. Our commitment to ASEAN is steadfast, and we have built an ASEAN airline in five countries, connecting 130 destinations across the region and beyond.

“We have not only made travel accessible for millions in ASEAN but also contributed significantly to the economies of these nations. AirAsia remains dedicated to serving the people in the region, and the completion of our network with all 10 ASEAN countries is a significant step towards growing the region while making the world smaller.

“As an ASEAN airline, we will continue to champion its integration through the continued support of the ASEAN Open Skies Policy to increase regional and domestic connectivity and enhance ASEAN trade opportunities through the liberalisation of air travel under the single, unified air transport market.”

In celebration of this announcement, flights from Kuala Lumpur to Vientiane are available for booking from now until 7 April 2024 from only MYR99 all-in* one-way and from USD39 all-in* one-way from Vientiane to Kuala Lumpur for the travel period between 2 July 2024 and 30 November 2024. The promotional fares are available for booking on airasia.com and the AirAsia MOVE (formerly airasia Superapp).

Located on the banks of the  Mekong River, Vientiane, the capital of Laos, attracts travellers with its charm and rich culture. From its vibrant traditions to Buddhist influences and echoes of French colonialism, Vientiane offers a mix of history and modernity. 

The city has several must-see attractions, such as the Wat Si Saket, a historic temple known for its unique architecture, and the Pha That Luang. This gold-covered large Buddhist stupa is Laos’s most important national monument. Visitors can also explore the bustling Morning Market, where they can buy traditional handicrafts, exquisite silk fabrics, and fresh produce. Another notable landmark is the Patuxai Victory Monument, symbolising Laotian resilience and independence.

*The promotional all-in fares include airport taxes, MAVCOM fees, fuel surcharges and other applicable fees. Other terms and conditions apply. Subject to regulatory approvals. T&C apply.

Bhutan: Wonders of the Himalayas Tour

SINGAPORE, 27 March 2024: Pandaw introduces its latest addition to Land & River Tours – The Wonders of the Himalayas, a 16-night tour highlighting visits to Paro in Bhutan and Darjeeling, India.

This unique and breathtaking new tour takes intrepid travellers high into the Eastern Himalayan mountain range via land, river and rail through this lesser-visited natural and cultural hotspot.

Photo credit: Pandaw.

This 16-night grand tour of the Eastern Himalayan region combines a six-night discovery tour of Bhutan, Pandaw’s Brahmaputra river expedition, and a three-night post-cruise stay in Darjeeling. Available on multiple dates through mid-2025, this exciting new tour is now open for bookings for preferred staterooms onboard.

To book, visit pandaw.com or contact the Pandaw team at [email protected].

Wonders of the Himalayas
PARO TO BAGDOGRA
16 nights
FROM USD9,296  per person.

Explore the mystical Eastern Himalayas on this new cruise and land tour with Pandaw. Discover the Kingdom of Bhutan, including the famous cliff-top monasteries and a unique way of life that remains largely unchanged and uninfluenced by the modern world. 

From Bhutan, travel to North Eastern India and Assam for a seven-night river expedition along the Brahmaputra River, including a jeep safari at Kaziranga National Park. 

Trip highlight: Paro Bhutan 

Paro, a quaint town nestled amidst the Himalayas, is a paradise for nature lovers and spiritual seekers alike. Here are some of the top attractions and tours you will experience in Paro, Bhutan.

Taktsang Monastery (Tiger’s Nest): This iconic monastery clings precariously to a cliffside, offering stunning views of the Paro Valley. Hiking to the monastery is a must for any visitor to Paro.

Rinpung Dzong: This massive fortress-monastery is an architectural marvel and a great place to learn about Bhutanese history and culture.

Kyichu Lhakhang: One of the oldest temples in Bhutan, Kyichu Lhakhang is believed to have been built in the 7th century. The temple houses numerous religious artefacts and offers a glimpse into Bhutan’s rich Buddhist heritage.

Chele La Pass: If you’re looking for an adventure, hike or bike to the Chele La Pass, which offers breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. Paro is a great place for hiking, with trails to suit all experience levels.

Weekend Market: Browse the Paro Weekend Market for souvenirs, such as handcrafted prayer wheels, bowls, and textiles made by local artisans.

Bhutan is known for its colourful festivals, and if you visit during the right time of year, you’ll likely be able to experience one.

Note: Medium fitness is required for a soft hike in Bhutan. The weather in Bhutan and Assam can be very cold during winter months. Check the average temperatures for your departure date and pack accordingly.

For more information visit.

Early birds catch ITB India discount

SINGAPORE, 27 March 2024: Early bird rates that lop off 15% from the 2024 booth rental fees for the upcoming ITB India are due to end on 14 May. 

ITB India 2024 will be held from 11 to 13 September 2024 at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, India. 

ITB India is a three-in-one B2B travel show co-located with MICE Show India and Travel Tech India, which delivers networking opportunities and business appointments with key players in the Indian travel market. 

Exhibitors will gain comprehensive pre-schedule meetings with buyers from India and neighbouring South Asian regions, offering opportunities to build bridges with South Asian travel buyers.

Buyers are pre-qualified serious travel procurement professionals from one, two and three-tier cities in Indian and South Asian outbound and domestic markets.

Invited travel buyers cover key segments of the travel industry, mainly  MICE, corporate, and leisure travel markets. ITB India estimates buyers have a collective purchasing power of more than USD1 million. About 70% of attending buyers are C-level profiles with decision-making responsibility.

Contact our exhibitor team at [email protected] or download our sales brochure to find out more.

Look out for these shows

Travel Meet Asia
3 – 4 July 2024
Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE), Jakarta, Indonesia
The premium tradeshow is for market-focused networking, engagements, and thought leadership. Travel Meet Asia provides you with opportunities to unlock key potentials in specific source markets or regions.

ITB Asia
23 – 25 October 2024
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
The annual three-day B2B trade show and convention will feature exhibiting companies globally and cover MICE, Leisure, and Corporate Travel.

MICE Show Asia
23 – 25 October 2024
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
An unmissable event for the meeting industry in APAC, MICE Show Asia is where the incentive travel, meetings and events industries come together to connect and build the future of MICE.

Travel Tech Asia
23 – 25 October 2024
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
Travel Tech Asia is where the latest technologies, emerging trends, leading travel brands, and innovative startups are all in one place to create new possibilities in travel.

Minor Hotels names GM for Maldives resort

BANGKOK, 27 March 2024: Minor Hotels, a global hotel owner and operator, has appointed Marlon Abeyakoon as the general manager of NH Collection Maldives Havodda. 

The luxury all-villa resort marks the debut of the NH Collection brand in a non-urban destination, introducing its renowned European flair to the Maldives.

Marlon Abeyakoon GM at NH Collection Maldives Havodda.

A luxury hospitality and rebranding expert, Abeyakoon has a formidable track record, having worked for prestigious global brands such as Kerzner, Hilton and Marriott in diverse locations, including the UK, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Fiji and the UAE.

In early 2020, Abeyakoon joined Minor Hotels as general manager designate for Avani+ Fares Resort before moving to Minor’s Oaks Ibn Battuta Gate Hotel in Dubai in the same role. 

A UK national, Abeyakoon commented: “It is an honour to lead the team at the inaugural NH Collection property in the Maldives. The recently refurbished resort more than does justice to the beauty of the Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll. I look forward to collaborating with the team to deliver extraordinary experiences for our guests.”

Vietjet scales up Australian flights

HANOI, 27 March 2024: Vietjet Air will schedule direct flights from Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, to Sydney and Melbourne in Australia in June.

Earlier this month, the airline confirmed that direct flights from Hanoi to Melbourne would be scheduled twice weekly on Monday and Friday, starting 3 June.

Photo credit: Vietjet Air. Sydney is the latest addition to the Vietjet’s network — start-up flights this June.

In its latest news update, the airline will add direct flights from Hanoi to Sydney twice weekly (Wednesday and Saturday) starting on 8 June. Both services will use the 377-seat A330-300 (12 business and 365 economy) for the 10-hour 35-minute flight.

Vietjet Air’s flights from Hanoi to Sydney will depart at 1710 (local time) and arrive in Sydney at 0600 the following day (local time). The flights from Sydney to Hanoi depart on Thursdays and Sundays at 0830 (local time) and arrive in Hanoi at 1600 on the same day (local time).

On the Hanoi-Melbourne route, the flight will depart Hanoi on Monday and Friday at 1710 and arrive in Melbourne at 0600 on the following morning. The return flight will depart Melbourne on Tuesday and Saturday at 0730 and arrive in Hanoi at 1400.

Vietjet will face stiff competition from the national carrier Vietnam Airlines on both routes. 
On the Hanoi to Melbourne route, Vietnam Airlines operates three direct flights weekly on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Fares on the route average USD1,030 roundtrip in economy.
Vietnam Airlines also flies three weekly services on the Hanoi-Sydney route (Tuesday, Friday and Sunday). The average fare on the route is USD1,130.

Vietjet Air has expanded its services to Australia since last year, flying from Ho Chi Minh City to Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne.

Penang hosts regional electronics show

GEORGE TOWN, Penang, 27 March 2024: The 4th Edition of Electronics Manufacturing Expo Asia (EMAX) and the third edition of Penang Manufacturing Expo (PMAX) 2024 will be hosted 24 to 26 July at the island’s Setia Spice Convention Centre, NRG Exhibitions reported on Tuesday.

Building on the success of previous editions, EMAX & PMAX 2024 will once again be held at the prestigious Setia SPICE Convention Centre in Penang, Malaysia. 

EMAX & PMAX 2024 will feature a comprehensive range of exhibitors, seminars, and networking opportunities, providing attendees with valuable insights into the latest technologies, trends, and best practices shaping the industry. From chip manufacturers and semiconductor suppliers to equipment providers and industry experts, participants can expect to connect with key players and explore innovative solutions driving the future of electronics and manufacturing.

With a focus on fostering collaboration and driving growth, EMAX & PMAX 2024 will attract participants from over 40 countries, showcasing 200+ leading brands and welcoming more than 8000 visitors. 

EMAX & PMAX is supported by:
Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB);
Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB).

Skyscanner reveals 2024 travel outlook

SINGAPORE, 27 March 2024: Global travel leader Skyscanner released its latest Horizons report last week, highlighting insights into booking windows, destination choices, and trending destinations across the APAC regions.

The analysis is based on Skyscanner’s proprietary forward-looking Travel Insight data, comparing traveller behaviour and search trends year-on-year. 

Booking windows 

Across the board, travellers are planning further ahead than the previous year, marking a return to traditional seasonality in 2024. Compared to other regions, APAC travellers have a greater distribution of booking windows but an overall increase in bookings over 30 days (including a 2% jump in the 90+ day segment). Booking windows of two months or more now represent over a third of demand in this region.

Destination choices

APAC travellers are focusing on intra-regional destinations, with a notable decrease in trips to Europe compared to last year. Seat capacity is returning to the region, and many travellers want to swap long-haul trips with short or medium trips or even domestic trips with an eye on their budget to help keep costs down.

Shorter trips 

Across all regions, average trip lengths are slightly down or flat year-on-year for many popular destinations. Well-known European and US destinations are the most popular, with Athens experiencing the biggest increase in trip length. “Everywhere” also ranks highly, and Tokyo is the only destination with a single-digit trip length.

Trending destinations

Destinations with the biggest year-on-year increases in search volumes reflect a mix of wanting to explore new places and those with new route connections. New Delhi, India and Shanghai, China, are experiencing the biggest growth amongst APAC travellers, while Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Dubrovnik, Croatia; and Victoria, Canada, are also trending. Pangkalan Bun in Borneo, Indonesia, is the only trending destination with an increase in average trip length.

Skyscanner head of destination partnerships Zeynep Mutlu Bigalı commented: “Our latest Horizon insights reveal a travel landscape that is both familiar and evolving. While traditional seasonality is returning and popular destinations remain in demand, travellers seek value and explore options closer to home. Across Skyscanner’s platforms, we have seen incredible demand at the start of the year, and we expect this to continue as we head into the summer, especially in regions such as North Asia.”

At the start of 2024, Skyscanner saw record travel demand, outperforming the global flights market and being the fastest-growing metasearch in 2023*.

Skyscanner continues to be a strategic partner for some of the world’s biggest brands, airlines, and DMOs. It works with companies across the travel ecosystem, including DMOs like Visit California, to promote destinations. It powers the next generation of AI travel tools, such as Bing Chat and Layla, and helps airlines promote their unique offers via NDC and launch new routes based on data intelligence.

Resorts World One sails from Taiwan

HONG KONG, 27 March 2024: Resorts World One will home port in both Keelung and Kaohsiung, Taiwan, from 12 July to 27 August 2024, Resorts World Cruises announced on Tuesday.

This year’s deployment will introduce a series of two, four and five-night Cruises for the summer vacation to the island of Kyushu and

Photo credit: Resorts World Cruises.

Okinawa in Japan, including to Kumamoto, Kagoshima, Sasebo and Nagasaki, as well as to Naha, Miyakojima and Ishigaki in Okinawa.

Riding high since last year’s successful deployment, Resorts World Cruises has led to the rejuvenation of the local cruise sector and generated a high volume of inbound cruise tourists from Hong Kong, Macao, and Southeast Asia. 

Last year’s deployment broke new records for the port of Kaohsiung with the highest number of cruises and passengers carried, totalling 138 cruises and over 199,000 passengers, respectively. Additionally, it also supplied over 60,000 inbound tourists to the Penghu destination. 

Overall, Resorts World One’s deployment in 2023 generated a tourism output value of approximately NTD1.6 billion, contributing to the overall growth of the tourism economy.

AirAsia flies to Beijing from DMK

BANGKOK, 27 March 2024: AirAsia continues to expand its international network by introducing direct flights from Bangkok-Don Mueang (DMK) to Beijing, China, effective 1 July 2024. 

The daily flight is now open for bookings at promotional fares starting at THB3,990, valid when booking from 26 March to 7 April 2024 for travel from 1 July 2024 onward. The deal is on sale at AirAsia MOVE (formerly airasia Superapp) or via airasia.com. 

Direct daily flights DMK-PKX

Flight FD600 will depart Bangkok Don Mueang (DMK) at 2255 and arrive in Beijing, China (Beijing Daxking Airport PKX) at 0440 on the following day.
Flight FD601 will depart Beijing Daxing (PKX) at 0550 and arrive in Bangkok Don Mueang (DMK) at 0945.
Flight time is five hours on a single-class A320neo.

Thai AirAsia head of commercial Tansita Akrarittipirom points to AirAsia’s success in the domestic market in Thailand, where it maintains the highest market share and supports bookings on flights to destinations in ASEAN, India, South Asia, Japan, and China.

However, in 2023, Thai AirAsia flew in over 600,000 Chinese travellers to Thailand, or 18% of all Chinese tourists to the nation, according to statistics from the Tourism Authority of Thailand. 

Following the visa-free policy between Thailand and China that kicked off on 1 March 2024, travel between the two countries has increased, allowing the airline to introduce the Don Mueang-Beijing route for the first time. 

The route serves Chinese tourists and Thai travellers looking to visit the grand city of Beijing. It is the only Thai-operated flight connecting Don Mueang Airport and the Chinese capital.

“Beijing is a popular destination for Thai travellers, and we have seen a consistent demand from travellers for the Chiang Mai-Beijing route that we launched earlier. Being our 12th direct service between Thailand and China, I am confident Don Mueang-Beijing will be equally, if not more, popular,” Tansita said.

Since the start of 2024, Thai AirAsia has seen rapid growth on its China routes, with a load factor average of 93% during the first two months (January-February). The introduction of visa-free travel on 1 March further supported this growth, especially for Thai travellers to China. In March alone, Thai visits to China should have grown by 200% from January (before the visa-free policy). The airline will serve up to 1.3 million passengers in 2024, up 27% from 2023, she explained.

“We are working closely with the Tourism Authority of Thailand to attract more Chinese tourists to the nation and most recently launched the Boarding Pass Privilege campaign for foreign visitors, presenting those holding an AirAsia boarding pass to enjoy various privileges and discounts from 18 campaign partners that will make their stay in Thailand an even more fun and worthwhile,” said Tansita.

Thai AirAsia flies 12 routes between Thailand and China from Bangkok Don Mueang: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Changsha, Chongqing, Kunming, Hangzhou, Shantou, Wuhan, Xi’an, Shanghai and now Beijing starting 1 July 2024. 

(Source: AirAsia)

Emirates top for entertainment

SINGAPORE, 26 March 2024: Emirates is the global winner of the ‘Best Inflight Entertainment Award’ in Airline Ratings 2024 Airline Excellence Awards, announced online last week.

Emirates scooped the top award for inflight entertainment from an extensive finalist list of global airlines due to its whopping 6,500 channels of high-quality and acclaimed content — the world’s largest entertainment library in the sky — making it a clear winner for the Best Inflight Entertainment award.

Emirates updates its inflight content every month, adding hundreds of movies, TV shows, podcasts, and music channels each month to its extensive entertainment library and securing exclusive partnerships with the best content providers. 

Customers can also curate their own ice experience before their flight by browsing and pre-selecting movies or TV shows on the Emirates app. These can then be synchronised to ice the moment they board, maximising the seamless travel experience.

Emirates inflight entertainment journey began almost 30 years ago when it was one of the first airlines to introduce seat-back videos for economy-class passengers. Emirates is also committed to setting industry standards and accessibility for people of determination and was the first airline in the world to introduce Audio Descriptive soundtracks and Closed Captions on movies on an inflight entertainment system.

Airlineratings.com Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas commented on the award: “Our editors were unanimous in their praise for Emirates ice system as a step above. That early investment in inflight entertainment has paid off for Emirates, and when you think it can’t do better, it lifts the bar once again.”

The AirineRatings.com Airline Excellence Awards are evaluated by an editorial team with many years of experience based on robust criteria, including product and safety ratings, passengers’ reviews on AirlineRatings.com and Trip Advisor, and overall profitability.

See what’s on ice