AirAsiaGo bullish on Phl tourism

MANILA, Philippines - Singapore-based AirAsiaGo is bullish about the travel and tourism industry in the Philippines with the impending boom in intra-Asian travel.

Jasmin Eusebio-Yu, marketing head of AirAsiaGo Philippines, said in a statement that it is giving big discounts for hotels in the Asia Pacific region as well as hotels in the Philippines.

“We are very much bullish on the potential of the travel and tourism industry in the Philippines over the next three years especially on intra-Asian travel,” Eusebio-Yu said.

AirAsiaGo functions much like an online travel agency with inventories in more than 100,000 hotels and tour packages in most international tourist destinations. 

The company has an easy to use website that can book travel in three steps while also accepting 18 different currencies.

AirAsiaGo launched hotel offerings to Filipino travelers that can be considered the lowest ever in the country’s travel and tourism industry.

It offers five three and 3.50 star hotels in the region at P113 a night including Citrus Sukhumvit in Thailand, Nathan Hotel in Indonesia, Citin Hotel Pudu and Best Western Kinabalu Daya Hotel in Malaysia, and Peninsula Excelsior Hotel in Singapore.

Aside from the five international hotels, AirAsiaGo is also offering eight hotels and resorts in Boracay and Davao with discounts from their published rates. 

The hotels can be booked from Nov. 26 to Dec. 2 with travel dates covering December until the end of the first quarter of next year.

“This is our way of thanking the Filipinos this Christmas season for the warm welcome they have given us this year,” Eusebio-Yu said

She believes the hotel rates are historic lows in the country and is being offered when Filipinos are now travelling to different destinations at least twice a year.

“We have seen the tremendous growth of online bookings in the region and in the Philippines this year especially on hotels. Filipinos are now becoming savvy do-it-yourself travelers who are now confident to build their travel itineraries,” she added.

AirAsiaGo sees online travel bookings hitting $91 billion as travel in the Asia Pacific region is expected to expand by nine percent next year with the Philippines leading the growth.

The Philippines is one of the growing markets in the region and will fuel the growth in online travel bookings in 2013.

Asia Pacific travel is projected to grow nine percent next year with the Philippines seen as one of the growing markets in the region.

In the region, Filipino travelers can expect basement price hotels in Australia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam from May to September next year.

AirAsiaGo is managed by AirAsiaExpedia - a joint venture between Expedia Inc. and AirAsia.