TransAsia Airways flies to Chiang Mai on a scheduled basis from 3 July 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

TransAsia Airways, Taiwan's first private airline, will convert its Taipei Taoyuan-Chiang Mai charter flight services to full-scheduled flights in July 2013. From 3 July, the airline will fly the Taoyuan-Chiang Mai-Taoyuan twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays with its Airbus A320 aircraft.

On 3 July, TransAsia fight GE631 departs from Taipei Taoyuan International Airport at 4.10 pm for Chiang Mai and arrives in Chiang Mai at 7 pm (8 pm, Singapore time). One hour later, flight GE632 takes off at 8.05 pm  (9.05 pm Singapore time) for Taoyuan and touches down in Taoyuan on the next day at 12.50 am.

Chiang Mai is the second scheduled Thailand destination of TransAsia Airways after the airline began non-stop scheduled daily flights from Taoyuan to Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Bangkok on 15 March 2013 using Airbus A330-300 aircraft.

TransAsia Airways has also introduced direct scheduled flights from Taoyuan to Zhangjiajie in Hunan Province, China, in May 2013 and will convert its Hualien-Tianjin seasonal charter flights services to regular scheduled flight services this month.

ITE & MICE Hong Kong 2013: A Bigger Travel Expo has more to offer

                                           

HONG KONG- Noted for its highly international profile of exhibitors, its regional trade visitors and affluent FIT public visitors, ITE & MICE this year grows by some 6% in scale!

Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR The Hon C Y Leung sent his Message to welcome all participants, and officiating the opening on June 13 are Mr Philip YUNG, JP, Commissioner for Tourism, Tourism Commission of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR and Mr Wang Zhifa, Vice Chairman of China National Tourism Administration.

Some large official pavilions repeating their presences with substantial expansions, which is a major factor for the Expo’s overall increase in scale, and they include Japan, Seychelles, Taiwan, Turkey, and Sabah of Malaysia. Another key factor is the increased presence of local travel agents, with new exhibitors and substantial expansion by repeated exhibitors. Meanwhile, China, Egypt, South Korea, Macau and Hong Kong etc maintain their significant presences.

Newly exhibiting destinations in the Travel Expo this year come from Cyprus, Finland, India, Iraq, Morocco, Nepal, Phuket of Thailand, Svalbard of Norway, and USA, and they include both official participations and individual exhibitors. New also is the pavilion of China’s Ningxia Province, which though being part of the China’s Pavilion has its own design.

In all, there are 680 exhibitors from around 47 countries and regions, with some 30 official stands / pavilions and over 80% of the exhibitors coming from abroad. The Travel Expo in Hong Kong will use Halls 1A to 1E in the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre with total area of some 16000 SQM.

Trade associations such as The Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE), the Hong Kong Wedding Management Association (HKWMA), the Asia Cruise Association (ACA), Hong Kong Institute of Marketing (HKIM), and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Hotel General Manager Association etc will hold in ITE & MICE this year their Forum, seminar and function.

Also highlighted are the new travel theme of Sport Tourism and repeating themes like Cruise, Study Tours, Travel Photography, Wellness and  Honeymooning & Overseas Weddings. The second trade day on June 14 is designated MICE / CORPORATE DAY with a series of related seminars.

The Expo runs a number of programs facilitating contacts between buyers and sellers, who can make pre-appointments directly via our password-enabled online system, or meet in our Business Matching held onsite. We also run limited scheme of assigned pre-appointments. But above all, there are plenty of opportunities for face to face interactions like at exhibitors’ stands or in social functions.

 The Travel Expo opens only to trade on June 13 and 14, and public can visit it on June 15 and 16 with tickets available at the entrance. 

In the public days are some 80 travel seminars with either celebrity or expert as speakers, round the clock cultural performances by overseas troupes sponsored by their respective tourism boards, special offers from exhibitors, auctioning of travel products, travel photo exhibitions by experts and celebrities, a travel agent zone and individual stands of travel agents to facilitate onsite booking of tours, and grand lucky draw with air tickets as prizes.

Organized by TKS Exhibition Services Ltd., ITE & MICE is supported by China National Tourism Administration, Hong Kong Tourism Board, Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong and Macau Government Tourist Office, trade associations of travel agents and event industries from Hong Kong and in the region.

Source : TKS Exhibition Services Ltd

Asian Wings Airways to introduce regional flights from 25 June 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                    / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Two-year old Myanmese airline, Asian Wings Airways, plans to introduce new flights between Yangon and other Southeast Asian and East Asian cities. Other local airlines of Myanmar also have plans to expand their flight networks to other Asian cities.

On 25 June 2013, Asian Wings Airways starts its first regional service on the Yangon-Chiang Mai route.

Other regional destinations of Asian Wings Airways are planned for October 2013.

“We are planning more regional services this October but it depends on the readiness of our reservations system to secure overseas bookings,” said Asian Wings Airways marketing and reservations manager, Cho Mar Nwe.

Eventually, Asian Wings Airways plans to fly from Yangon to Bangkok, Phuket, Seoul, Guangzhou, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and from Mandalay to Chiang Mai, Gaya and Kunming.

Expansions to regional destinations will require more aircraft. Currently Asian Wings Airways has three ATR72s and a single Airbus A321. It plans to add one more ATR and a A321. Considering its ambitious plans to add nine more regional routes, in addition to its Chiang Mai service, it will require more aircraft to sustain reliable on-time services.

“We need to act quickly to catch up with competitors who are expanding services to Myanmar from Thailand, China, Korea,” said Ms Cho Mar Nwe.

For example, Myanmar Airways International has signed an agreement with Korean Air to begin code-sharing flights from Yangon to Seoul . Air Mandalay plans to resume flights from Yangon to Chiang Mai and launch new flights to Phuket  later this year while Air Bagan plans to resume flights to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi in October 2013 and to Singapore possibly in 2014.

Mandala resumes thrice-weekly flights to Hong Kong from 24 July 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press and Travel Professionals

Mandala, the partner airline of Tiger Airways headquartered in Jakarta, resumes thrice-weekly flights to Hong Kong from Jakarta from 24 July 2013.

On 24 July, Mandala's Airbus A320 leased from Tiger Airways departs from Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport Terminal 3 at 8.10 pm for Hong Kong and arrives in Hong Kong at 1.50 am on 25 July under flight code RI840. Scheduled flights on this route are on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

On 25 July, Mandala's flight RI841 takes off from Hong Kong at 2.30 am and arrives in Jakarta at 6.30 am. Services on the return leg of the journey are on  Thursdays, Saturdays and Mondays.

Hong Kong was one of the three international destinations along with Singapore and Macau that Mandala briefly flew to in 2009-2010,  before it suspended flights to be fully-restructured to become Tiger Airways' Indonesian subsidiary in 2012.

Currently, Mandala flies internationally from Medan and Jakarta to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.

Singapore's first budget flight to Makassar on 1 July 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press and Travel Professionals

On 1 July 2013, AirAsia Singapore station will celebrate a new budget flight link to eastern Indonesia when AirAsia Indonesia begins its inaugural flights from Makassar to Singapore and from Singapore to Makassar without any transit stop in Jakarta.

On 1 July, AirAsia Indonesia's Airbus A320 flight QZ8203 departs from Makassar at 7.40 am and lands in Singapore at 10.10 am before taking off from Changi Airport Terminal 1 at 10.45 am for Makassar and touches down in Makassar at 1.15 pm under flight code QZ8202.

Budget flights to Makassar are on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 

Ode to Hoan Kiem Lake

Lyrical poem by : Gan Yung Chyan
                          / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Travel Professionals

Home where travellers belong
On the waters God's tower enfolds.
Heaven's Will enriched Thanh Long --
Orient's gem, Rafetus swinhoei.

The waters uplift faith --
Brevity, bravery
Of a horse and a dragon
The waters embrace fate --
A pilgrim, bright city
Of the jade mountain dragon.

Honour the ages' lake --
The Huc is the new haven.
Come, see the crimson lake,
The heart of every element.

Written in remembrance of the first media trip to Hanoi's Hoan Kiem Lake, Hoan Kiem District, on 12 April 2013.

Notes : Rafetus swinhoei is the name of the endemic turtle species found in Hoan Kiem Lake. Locally, it is named Rafetus leloii, in honour of the founder Emperor Le Loi that named the lake Ho Hoan Kiem in Vietnamese. The Huc is the Vietnamese name for the Chinese bridge of Hoan Kiem Lake.

Travel to Hanoi : Vietnam Airlines, Tiger Airways, Jetstar Pacific Airlines, VietJetAir, Cambodia Angkor Air, Dragonair, Hong Kong Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Thai Airways International, China Eastern, China Southern, Sichuan Airlines, China Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, Eva Air, Uni Air, British Airways, Finnair, Aeroflot, Korean Air and Lao Airlines fly to Hanoi on a scheduled basis every week.

Hanoi is 1003 years old this year

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Readers 

Hanoi is 1003 years old in 2013. It is a progressing capital city of Vietnam. It has a vast countryside. Its street traffic is not as chaotic as it appears to be even when after fat traffic policemen were not allowed to direct traffic on Hanoi's streets and roads under a new law legislation which went effect early this year.

It is safe to walk on Hanoi's streets as long as a traveller's cash and digital camera are in pouches worn in front of him. Taxi is the most comfortable transport to travel with in Hanoi but travel in Hanoi with reputable taxi companies, names which you can find on Wikitravel, to avoid fare scams. Avoid motorcyclos (motorcycle taxis) whenever one can as riders will try to befriend and rip tourists off later.

Hotels and guesthouses in Hanoi and other Vietnamese cities and towns keep one's passports after checking-in and they return the passports to travellers when travellers check-out. No room deposit is required.

To visit Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and other Vietnamese cities with international airports and harbours, ASEAN travellers are no longer required to fill in any customs and immigration forms. This practice paves way for Vietnam to accept the ASEAN Open Skies policy in the future more willingly and quickly.

The following pictures were shot in Hanoi in one day as part of my debut trip on 12 April 2013 to this Capital of the Soaring Dragon whose ancient name was called Thanh Long.  They will be uploaded in several reports.

 

 

 

Next : More pictures of Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi.

Sriwijaya Air begins daily flights to Dili from Denpasar from 10 May 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press and Travel Professionals

Sriwijaya Air, one of Indonesia's private airlines, begins daily scheduled flights to Dili from Denpasar, Bali, from 10 May 2013. Dili is Sriwijaya Air's third international destination after Singapore and Penang.

On 10 May 2013, Sriwijaya Air departs for Dili from Denpasar at 9.50 am and arrives in Dili at 12.40 pm under flight code SJ270. At 1.25 pm, it takes off for Denpasar from Dili and touches down in Denpasar at 2.15 pm under flight code SJ271.

The Denpasar-Dili-Denpasar routing was previously operated by the now-defunct carrier Batavia Air.

SilkAir flies to Semarang and resumes flights to Makassar

Summary by : Gan Yung Chyan
                    / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press and Travel Professionals

According to local press reports, SilkAir flies to Semarang directly from 29 July 2013. It will resume direct flights to Makassar on 1 August 2013.

Low-cost flight between Kalibo (Boracay) and Singapore begins on 18 July 2013

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press and Travel Professionals

Changi Airport will celebrate a new destination link when SEAIR South East Asian Airlines, the Philippines affliate of Tiger Airways, begins low-cost scheduled flights between Singapore and Kalibo International Airport in Boracay, the famous resort town of the Philippines on 18 July 2013. It will fly the route three times a week.

On 18 July (Thursday), SEAIR's Airbus A320 aircraft departs from Kalibo at 8.10 am for Singapore and touches down in Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 at 11.55 am under flight code DG8802. At 12.25 pm, it leaves Singapore under DG8803 for Kalibo and arrives in Kalibo at 4.05 pm, providing convenience for passengers who wish to fly directly to the paradise town of Boracay which has the cleanest white-sand beach and five-star resorts in the Philippines.

SEAIR flies between Kalibo and Singapore on Thursdays, Saturdays and Mondays. It currently flies daily between Clark and Singapore.