Dragon and Tiger Pagodas famous building in southern Taiwan at night, Aerial view Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
KOTA KINABALU, 20 November 2024: AirAsia continues to strengthen connectivity from its second-largest hub in Malaysia with four flights weekly between Kaohsiung and Kota Kinabalu. The first flight arrived in Sabah’s state capital on 17 November.
Sabah welcomed the inaugural flight AK1507 from Kaohsiung to Kota Kinabalu, with 74 passengers on board. It marked a proud moment as Kaohsiung became the second city in Taiwan directly connected to Sabah after Taipei — both routes operated by AirAsia. The new direct flight operates four times weekly: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.
Sabah welcomes the first flight from Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Kaohsiung is the 15th international destination served by AirAsia Malaysia (AK) from the Kota Kinabalu hub. As the only airline operating this route, AirAsia will contribute 105 weekly flights from Kota Kinabalu to numerous destinations in ASEAN and beyond by December 2024.
Flight Schedule between Kota Kinabalu (BKI) and Kaohsiung (KHH):
SINGAPORE, 20 November 2024: Hilton has announced the opening of Hilton Kyoto and Canopy by Hilton Osaka Umeda. This marks the brand’s first Canopy in Asia Pacific outside of China and the debut of Hilton’s flagship brand in Kyoto.
Hilton KyotoCanopy by Hilton Osaka Umeda
The new hotel becomes the fifth property under the Hilton portfolio to open in Kyoto, joining ROKU KYOTO, LXR Hotels & Resorts; DoubleTree by Hilton Kyoto Higashiyama; DoubleTree by Hilton Kyoto Station; and Hilton Garden Inn Kyoto Shijo Karasuma.
Hilton Kyoto is situated in the Kawaramachi Sanjo neighbourhood, approximately 15 minutes by car from Kyoto Station or a two-minute walk from Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae Station on the Kyoto Municipal Subway T ozai Line. The hotel offers convenient access to major tourist attractions such as the world-famous Kiyomizu Temple, known for its distinctive architecture, as well as the Heian Jingu Shrine. Hilton Kyoto is also within walking distance of Gion and Pontocho, and entertainment enclaves well-known for their traditional streetscapes.
MUMBAI, 20 November 2024: SOTC Travel has been voted Asia’s Leading Travel Agency 2024 at the 31st World Travel Awards 2024 when the Indian travel firm celebrates its 75th anniversary.
This recognition reflects SOTC’s continued excellence, innovation, and leadership in the travel sector.
The World Travel Awards, also known as the “Oscars of the travel industry,” celebrate and reward the highest global achievements in travel and tourism.
The Asia’s Leading Travel Agency award is a highly coveted accolade that recognises the company’s exceptional service, strategic growth, and commitment to providing unparalleled travel experiences to customers. This prestigious win further underscores SOTC’s strong presence and influence in Asia and endorses SOTC as a leading travel company for its diverse customer base.
SOTC Travel Limited President and Country Head – Holidays and Corporate Tours, SD Nandakumar said: “At SOTC, as we celebrate our 75th anniversary, we are humbled to be recognised as Asia’s Leading Travel Agency at the World Travel Awards 2024.
“I would like to dedicate this award to our exceptional team at SOTC. This reflects our team’s dedication to delivering unique and enriching travel experiences to our customers, along with the strength of our partnerships and the trust we have built over the years. This award inspires us to continue raising the standard of excellence across the travel and tourism industry.”
About SOTC Travel SOTC Travel Limited is a step-down subsidiary of Fairfax Financial Holdings, held through its Indian-listed subsidiary, Thomas Cook (India) Limited (TCIL). SOTC Travel is a leading omnichannel travel and tourism company active in the leisure, incentive, and business travel segments.
SINGAPORE, 20 November 2024: Malaysia has been awarded the prestigious “Destination of the Year” at the TripZilla Excellence Awards 2024.
The honours are determined through an extensive voting process involving passionate travel enthusiasts and recognises a steadfast commitment to excellence, innovation, and exceptional service.
It acknowledged Malaysia’s exceptional tourism offerings, diverse culture, and commitment to enhancing tourists’ travel experiences.
Tourism Malaysia Director General Datuk Manoharan Periasamy remarked: “As Malaysia celebrates this remarkable achievement, we invite travellers to explore our nation’s unique charm, exceptional hospitality, and the myriad of experiences awaiting discovery.”
The award underscores Malaysia’s ongoing initiatives to promote sustainable tourism practices, focusing on preserving natural beauty while providing economic opportunities for local communities. Malaysia’s vast array of eco-tourism attractions and conservation-focused programmes demonstrates its commitment to a sustainable future for travel.
TripZilla is a leading travel media company in Southeast Asia, reaching more than 20 million travellers every month. Now in its landmark 10th year, the TripZilla Excellence Awards is a highly coveted honour in the travel industry, celebrating brands that have crafted exceptional and unforgettable travel experiences.
Malaysia is gearing up various promotional campaigns to attract tourists worldwide. The forthcoming Visit Malaysia Year 2026 has set a target of 35.6 million foreign tourist arrivals, with a target receipt of RM147.1 billion.
BANGKOK, 20 November 2024: Thai Airways has announced plans to upgrade from A320s to wide-bodied aircraft on some domestic routes to meet an uptick in peak season passenger traffic in December.
Information will remain sketchy until the airline’s communications department issues an official statement on the aircraft upgrade and peak season flight increases. But the gist is that A320s will be replaced by Boeing 777s, Boeing 787 Dreamliners, and Airbus A330s on some domestic routes in December, particularly during the Christmas to New Year travel season from 20 to 31 December.
Online timetable information and Nation Online news suggest bigger aircraft will be deployed to serve Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Mai, and Chiang Rai from early December 2024 to early January 2025. This is in response to increased demand during the peak travel season.
Additionally, Thai Airways has been undergoing a fleet restructuring process, which may involve aircraft changes and route adjustments. However, details about aircraft changes in December 2024 have not been officially announced.
However, the latest up-to-date information on aircraft changes and flight schedules posted on travel-related websites other than TG confirms some of the changes.
The airline will schedule widebody aircraft service on the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi-Krabi route from 1 to 31 December 2024, with a mix of Boeing 777-200ER and A330-300 operating the morning service instead of an A320.
Upgrades in aircraft from A320s to Boeing 777s and Airbus A330 will also increase seat capacity on flights to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Thai Airways will assign Airbus A330s and Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners to replace A320s on some of its three daily roundtrip flights between Bangkok and Chiang Rai from 20 to 24 December.
BANGKOK, 20 November 2024: ITA Airways inaugurated its first direct flight to Thailand on 17 November, connecting Bangkok and Rome Fiumicino.
ITA operates five weekly flights to Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday using a 281-seat Airbus A330neo.
At the ribbon-cutting event in BKK airport: Emiliana Limosani, Chief Commercial Officer of ITA Airways and CEO Volare, Pierfrancesco Carino, Vice President of International Sales of ITA Airways, Benedetto Mencaroni Poiani, Regional Manager for Asia, Middle East, and Africa ITA Airways, Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, Deputy Governor for International Marketing Europe, America, Middle East and Africa of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), HE Paolo Dionisi, the Ambassador of Italy to Thailand.
The inaugural flight AZ758 from Rome Fiumicino landed at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK) at 0825 (local time) on Sunday, 17 November.
The new Rome-Bangkok connection is a milestone for the company, expanding its network to a strategic market. Bangkok serves as an important aviation hub for both leisure and business traffic.
ITA Airways Chief Commercial Officer and CEO of Volare Emiliana Limosani said: “This route represents a key milestone for us, marking our entry into the Thai market and further extending our reach in Asia alongside our connections to Tokyo, New Delhi, and Malè in the Maldives. As our eighth new destination this year, this route underscores our dedication to creating more travel opportunities for our customers, focusing on Thailand as a key market for both leisure and business travel”.
Flight schedule
Bangkok — Rome Fiumicino: Flights depart at 1215 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday and arrive in Rome at 1900.
Rome Fiumicino — Bangkok: Flights depart at 1515 on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday and arrive in Bangkok at 0740.
During the upcoming 2025 summer season (April to October the airline will reduce flights to three weekly.
The A330 is configured in three classes: Business (30 reclining seats), premium (24 seats), and economy (237 seats).
KUALA LUMPUR, 20 November 2024: Batik Air will introduce a new direct service between Johor Bahru and Bangkok on 1 December 2024.
The daily flights will operate out of Senai International Airport (JHB) to Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport (DMK), allowing travellers residing in southern Malaysia and even the northern districts in Singapore to fly directly to Thailand’s bustling capital.
The introduction of this route marks a significant milestone for Batik Air the airline said in a recent press statement.
Batik Air Chief Executive Officer Datuk Chandran Rama Muthy stated that Bangkok has always been one of Asia’s most desirable destinations, particularly for Malaysians.
“This vibrant metropolis is a perfect addition to our growing list of destinations, and we are excited to offer our passengers from Southern Malaysia a direct connection to this captivating city,” he said.
In the third quarter of 2024, Bangkok welcomed over 568,216 visitors from Malaysia, with 342,859 arrivals through Don Mueang Airport (DMK), where Batik Air operates flights. This number is expected to rise as more travellers seek to experience the vibrant allure of Thailand’s capital, further boosted by the convenience of Batik Air’s new direct route from Southern Malaysia.
Flight schedule
Flight OD531 departs Johor Bahru (JHB) at 1215 and arrives at Bangkok Don Mueang Airport (DMK) at 1350. Flight OD530 departs Bangkok Don Mueang Airport at 1505 and arrives in Johor Bahru at 1835.
A B737-800s with 167 seats will fly the route with a flight time of two hours and 25 minutes.
The airline will compete head-on with AirAsia that offers 11 flights weekly on the route using an A320 with 180 seats. The average roundtrip fare on the route before Batik Air starts flights is USD140.
DUBAI, UAE, 19 November 2024: The Emirates A380 welcomed more than 7,000 visitors across two days at last week’s Bahrain International Airshow.
The Bahrain International Airshow is a biennial airshow hosted at the Sakhir Air Base in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Established in 2010, the event is organised by the Civil Aviation Affairs of Bahrain in association with Farnborough International.
“Bahrain International Airshow offers the industry a platform for high-level corporate hospitality, unique access to military and civil delegations, and showcasing technological innovations to potential buyers around the world. The show returned from 13 to 15 November 2024” (Wikipedia).
The airline showcased its iconic flagship aircraft for trade and industry visitors, aviation aficionados, and the wider public for an up-close glimpse into the largest passenger aircraft in the world.
The Emirates A380 on display featured four classes and was one of the latest aircraft to be retrofitted with the newest generation cabins, including Premium Economy, alongside updates across First, Business, and Economy class cabins.
The airline has embarked on a multi-billion dollar retrofit programme to elevate the travel experience for its customers for years to come. As part of the programme, the airline rolled out Premium Economy with more spacious seating and thoughtful touches that makes routine travel an unforgettable experience. Visitors to the aircraft were also able to tour the Onboard Lounge, and the iconic Shower Spa in First Class.
Emirates has been serving Bahrain since 2000 and has carried close to 8 million passengers to and from Bahrain since its start. The airline currently operates 21 weekly flights on its Boeing 777 aircraft and connects travellers from the Kingdom to more than Emirates’ 140 global destinations via its hub in Dubai.
For bookings or more information on flights visit www.emirates.com
BANGKOK, 19 November 2024: Bangkok will host the Pacific Asia Travel Association’s annual PATA Travel Mart 2025 for the second consecutive year from 26 to 28 August 2025.
It marks the first time the event has been hosted for consecutive years at the same destinations since the late 1990s when the show resided in Singapore for five years between 1998 and 2002.
Photo credit: PATA. PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid.
PATA CEO Noor Ahmad Hamid confirmed the decision to keep the PTM in Bangkok during last week’s PATA Destination Marketing Forum 2024, held in Petchaburi province, Thailand.
The PTM was hosted in Bangkok from 27 to 29 August 2024 at the Thai capital’s Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre when attendance reached 900 buyers and sellers, according to a press statement released last week by the PATA CEO.
“The Asia Pacific region continues to be a global leader in tourism, both as a major destination and a source of outbound travel. With its rich cultural heritage, spirit of resilience, and innovative edge, Bangkok captures the essence of this vibrant region, making it an ideal setting for stakeholders to convene, collaborate, and celebrate the myriad opportunities and partnerships shaping the future of tourism,” he concluded.
SINGAPORE, 19 November 2024: Pandaw is promoting six river cruises with sailing dates during the festive season of Christmas and New Year.
The sailings focus on river trips to Mekong Region destinations in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. An Indian cruise spotlights the heritage destinations on the mighty Ganges River, departing on the day after Christmas and featuring New Year celebrations on the iconic river.
It’s not too late to join Pandaw across our destinations for special Christmas and New Year sailings in 2024. With no single supplement, specially crafted festive menus and festive onboard entertainment.
To book, visit pandaw.com, contact us at [email protected] or speak to your local travel agent.
