AirAsia Zest aims to capture Malaysia’s 25M tourist base

CEBU, Philippines -  Filipino low-cost carrier AirAsia Zest aims to capture a significant fraction of the 25 million annual tourists of Malaysia and targets to cater to the delegates of the fourth Visit Malaysia Year (VMY 2014) to be celebrated next year.

AirAsia Zest Executive Vice President and Chief  Operating Officer Joy Caneba said that the country could expect more traffic, both inbound and outbound, with the new direct flights from Cebu to Kuala Lumpur.

It was last Sunday that AirAsia Zest launched its first international flight carrying 128 guests from Mactan Cebu International Airport to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Flight Z2-187, operated by an all-Filipino crew, left Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) at 6:00am and arrived at Kuala Lumpur’s Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) at 9:50am.

Caneba said that they hope to cater to ten percent of the delegates of VMY 2014 that will kick off on January.

VMY 2014 is expected to contribute to the government’s target to receive 36 million tourist arrivals and Malaysian Ringgit 168 billion in receipts by 2020 as outlined in the Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan 2020.

Malaysia shall be hosting the ASEAN Tourism Forum from January 16 to 23 of  next year in Kuching, Sarawak which is set to kick off  VMY 2014.

Last year, Malaysia registered 25 million tourist arrivals and Malaysian Ringgit 60.6 billion in tourist receipts, placing the country as the tenth most popular tourism destination in the world.

In 2012, the country recorded a total of 508,744 Filipinos who visited Malaysia.  Also, arrivals from the Philippines for the first half of 2013 were recorded at 277,378, an increase of 16.5 percent compared to the same period in 2012.

Caneba acknowledged the multiplying effect of the aviation industry on the tourism and economic sectors of the country.

“If we are able to draw even a fraction of Malaysia’s millions of annual tourists, it will have a significant impact on our tourist arrival record which translates to more jobs, more food on the table and more opportunities for Filipinos,” she stated.

She said that the new flight will also provide another link for both countries in areas of trade and investment.

Meanwhile, she cited that the Philippine aviation industry still needs improvement particularly in the development of the country’s infrastructure, airport and connectivity.

Caneba further noted that the series of calamities that recently hit the country should not hugely affect the Philippine tourism industry although it has slightly dampened the market as of now.

“Let them fly here. Let them see everything is fine. By word-of-mouth, inbound traffic will rise again,” she said.

Aside from the direct flight to Kuala Lumpur, AirAsia Zest will add two new international routes from Cebu. Caneba announced that on December 19, the airline company shall inaugurate the flight to Kota Kinabalu and by mid-December, shall launch the flight to Incheon, South Korea.

Earlier, Tourism Malaysia Manila office director Fazdila Mansor said that the country aims to promote Malaysia as the preferred destination for the Philippine market and attract more Filipino tourists.

Mansor, seeking the continued support from Filipinos to visit Malaysia, said that Tourism Malaysia is confident to reach the target of attracting 520,000 Filipino tourists to Malaysia this year.

Tourism Malaysia, also known as the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of Malaysia.

The Malaysian delegation is comprised of 31 organizations including Johor Tourism Department, Sabah Tourism Board, Labuan Corporation, KidZania Kuala Lumpur, Legoland Malaysia, Sepang International Circuit and Regency Hotel.

AirAsia Zest is a Philippine-based airline company currently operating a fleet of 13 aircrafts. It serves domestic destinations of Kalibo, Puerto Princesa, Cebu, Davao, Tacloban, Tagbilaran, Iloilo, Bacolod and Cagayan de Oro, with international points in Asia including China and South Korea from its hub in Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila.

It was named the World’s Best Low Cost Airline in the annual World Airline Survey by Skytrax for five consecutive years from 2009 - 2013.

Philippines AirAsia (PAA) holds 49-percent stake in AirAsia Zest after signing an agreement last March with Ambassador Alfredo Yao, prominent businessman and owner of Zest Airways Inc. /JMD (FREEMAN)