THAILAND:Bangkok Airways Stops All International Flights Over Covid 19

Bangkok Airways has said it is temporarily suspending all international flights from today, 22 March, until further notice as the spread of the corona virus has crippled travel demand worldwide.

The carrier had earlier suspended many services to destinations in Thailand including the holiday island of Koh Samui in light of sharply reduced tourism.

The suspensions are now being expended to destinations across its network serving Cambodia where it has up to five flights a day, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.

A full list of the suspended services and the dates on which they apply is published and updated regularly on the Bangkok Airways website.

In a statement released on Saturday, the carrier said that passengers can call its 24-hour call centre at 1771 or 270-6699 or Bangkok Airways ticket offices to receive a full refund.

Passengers who booked their tickets through travel agencies are advised to directly contact their agents for further assistance.

Earlier Vietnam Airlines and several other Vietnam based airlines had followed suit.

By closing borders to all except cargo, Asean countries are slowly but surely going into lock down mode by default. It first started with restrictions on incoming and outgoing passengers as deaths have started happening in several Asean countries while cases are spiking.

Two of Thailand’s airlines are suspending international flights while Thai Lion Air announced it would ground its entire fleet in Bangkok as travel demand to and around Thailand plummets.

Both Thai AirAsia and Bangkok Airways announced they were suspending all international flights at the weekend following service cuts announced last week. But at least for the immediate future, they are still flying domestic services.

Bangkok Airways made the announcement 21 March on its Facebook page rather than through press releases. It described the international flight cuts as a temporary suspension that would start 22 March “until further notice.”

Domestic services continue, but there are some reductions in the number of daily flights, and the airline has cancelled services to Chiang Rai.

Thai Lion Air was the first airline to announce it will suspend all flights both domestic and international from 25 March to 30 April 2020. It will see the airline ground 17 planes and lay off hundreds of cabin attendants.

Blaming the situation on the Covid-19 outbreak the airline says it will resume normal services on all routes from 1 May onwards, but that timeline could change considering the surge of Covid-19 cases in Thailand that soared to 600 on Sunday in just a few days following two weeks of reporting a relatively stable count of 40 to 50 cases.

Thai AirAsia confirmed it was halting all international flights from 22 March to 25 April 2020 to comply with the current Covid-19 epidemic control measures.

The airline says it will offer passengers the opportunity to rebook flights later in the year but not exceeding 180 days from the time of the original booking.

They can also store the fare as a credit that can be used to buy a fare before the end of the year.

However, reaching out to the airline is not so easy. The airline uses a virtual assistant or bot that replaced call centres and help-desk options some months back and customer response is less than favourable.

Complaints are piling up that the bot is overloaded and cannot process requests, leaving passengers with just one alternative. They have to visit the airline’s airport office and file a request for a refund or fee-free change to staff.

PHILIPPINES: Philippines AirAsia Opens More Routes

Philippines AirAsia launched services between Cebu (CEB) and Hangzhou (HGH) on 18 May.

The LCC will operate the 2,243-kilometre airport pair twice-weekly, with flights departing Cebu late in the evening on Mondays and Fridays before returning from Hangzhou in the early hours on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Flights will be operated by the carrier’s A320 fleet and there is no direct competition. OAG schedules show that the airline previously operated this route three times weekly for a short season between 24 January and 18 March 2017.

The Cebu link is the carrier’s only current connection to Hangzhou.

Philippines AirAsia launched twice-weekly flights (Mondays and Fridays) between Cebu and Hangzhou.

The 2,243-kilometre sector will be operated by A320s and faces no direct competition.

The LCC previously operated this route for a short period between January and March 2017.

On 10 May Cebu welcomed the inaugural Philippines AirAsia arrival from Shenzhen, with a musical accompaniment.

The first outbound flight to the Chinese city had departed late the previous night. The LCC will operate this 1,745-kilometre sector daily and faces no incumbent competition.

Two days later on 11 May, Cebu celebrated Philippines AirAsia’s first flight to Clark.

This domestic link will be operated daily with A320s and faces incumbent competition in the form of Cebu Pacific Air and Philippine Airlines, which both offer 10 flights per week.

Philippines AirAsia commenced two new links in the past week with the launch of flights from Cebu (CEB) to Shenzhen (SZX) on 9 May, and from Clark (CRK) to Cebu on 11 May.

The LCC will operate daily services with A320s on both the 1,745-kilometre Chinese sector, and on the 657-kilometre domestic link.

There is no direct competition on the Cebu-Shenzhen route, but Cebu Pacific Air and Philippine Airlines both already operate 10 weekly flights on the Clark-Cebu connection.

Philippines AirAsia will operate to three Chinese destinations from Cebu this summer, with Shanghai Pudong and Hangzhou also being served. It will provide seven domestic destinations from Clark in S18.

Philippines AirAsia launched flights between Manila (MNL) and Jakarta (CGK). The carrier will operate the 2,784-kilometre airport pair daily using its fleet of A320s.

The route is already well served, with Cebu Pacific Air and Philippine Airlines also offering daily services.

Philippines AirAsia CEO, Captain Dexter Comendador, said of the new service: AirAsia is a product of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and we are so proud to be part of this region we call home.

We are thrilled to add another ASEAN destination into our ever growing network. With this launch, Philippines AirAsia now serves 17 destinations from Manila, with an 18th to Denpasar launching on 19 January, a route that the carrier will operate four times weekly.

There were celebrations at Bangkok Don Mueang to mark Philippines AirAsia’s first service from Manila.

The assembled dignitaries included Dexter Comendador, CEO Philippines AirAsia and Kajorndet Apichartrakul, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand. The LCC will operate this 2,200-kilometre sector daily with its A320s.

Philippines AirAsia launched a new link between Manila (MNL) and Bangkok Don Mueang (DMK). The 2,200-kilometre connection will link the capital cities of the Philippines and Thailand with daily flights operated by A320s.

There is no direct competition, but schedules show that multiple carriers including Philippine Airlines and Thai Airways will operate a combined 46 weekly flights from Manila to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi during the week commencing 24 April.

AirAsia is a product of Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and we are so proud to be part of this region we call home, said Dexter Comendador, CEO Philippines AirAsia.

We are the only airline that carries I love Asean painted on our aircraft including the ASEAN logo.

AirAsia loves Asean is a commitment to help bridge communities and economies as we move toward even greater integration and mutual understanding.

Kajorndet Apichartrakul, Director, Tourism Authority of Thailand, said: We want to bring people across the Asean region closer together and further expand our Asean footprint to serve more and more communities.

We have 100% load for this inaugural flight and we hope to do more inter-Asean routes to serve every Filipino traveller’s needs and enable them to connect, do business and build socio-economic ties with neighbouring economies.

Celebrations were had at Clark Airport to herald the start of Philippines AirAsia’s new routes to Ilo Ilo, Puerto Princesa, and Tacloban, with the festivities also including a cake cutting ceremony.

Seen conducting the cutting of the baked creation are: Carol Uy, Regional Director of DOT III; Alexander Cauguiran, President CEO of Clark International Airport Corporation; and Darren Acorda, Chief Pilot Training and Standards Captain, AirAsia.

There were also celebrations at Tacloban Airport to welcome the inaugural Philippines AirAsia service from Clark on 2 February.

The following day, the carrier launched two more domestic destinations from Clark to Ilo Ilo and Puerto Princesa.

The airline faces no direct competition on the Ilo Ilo and Tacloban routes, but the connection from Clark to Puerto Princesa is already operated three times weekly by Philippine Airlines.

Philippines AirAsia this week launched three domestic links from Clark (CRK), beginning services to Tacloban (TAC) on 2 February, followed by Ilo Ilo (ILO) and Puerto Princesa (PPS) the following day.

The 653-kilometre route to Tacloban will be served four times weekly, while the 542- and 636-kilometre links to Ilo Ilo and Puerto Princesa will be operated three times weekly.

All three routes will be operated using the airline’s fleet of A320s.

Only the Clark to Puerto Princesa airport pair will face direct competition, with Philippine Airlines already serving this route with three weekly services.

These new routes mean that Philippines AirAsia has doubled its domestic connections from Clark, with the LCC already serving Davao, Kalibo and Caticlan from the airport.


Tourism Observer

PHILIPPINES: UK And US Issue Travel Advisories On Palawan

“Shoot on sight” is how President Duterte wants the military to deal with Abu Sayyaf bandits, as the United States and Britain have alerted their citizens to threats of kidnapping of foreigners by the terror group in some resorts in Palawan.

My order to the security forces is stalk, shoot them on site. Patayin ninyo (Kill them), do not waste your bullet, then we take care of them in hospital.

Expend your bullet to finish the problem because it is really a problem. It is a problem of security, law and order,Duterte said in remarks before journalists shortly before his departure for Cambodia yesterday to attend the World Economic Forum on ASEAN.

He said soldiers should not hesitate to kill terrorists.

If you encounter them, kill them. Filipinos are in great number. Next year there will be more,there will be about 125 million of us. We can always replenish the supply, do not worry, he said in English and Filipino.

The latest advisories came weeks after the two countries and several others alerted their citizens to threats of kidnapping in Bohol.

Security forces would later pounce on Abu Sayyaf bandits in three boats in a remote riverside community in Bohol.

Six militants and four government troops died in the Bohol clashes, including terror leader Muammar Askali, also known as Abu Rami.

The US embassy has received credible information that terrorist groups may be planning to conduct kidnapping operations targeting foreign nationals in the areas of Palawan province, Philippines, to include Puerto Princesa City and the areas surrounding Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park,” the embassy said in its travel advisory.

The British embassy also advised British nationals to carefully consider travel plans and exercise heightened vigilance in the areas mentioned by the US embassy.

In its travel advice, the British embassy said “terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in the Philippines. Terrorist groups continue to plan attacks and have the capacity and the intent to carry out attacks at any time and anywhere in the country.”

The travel advice said attacks could happen anywhere, including in places visited by foreigners, like airports, shopping malls, public transport and places of worship.

“You should remain vigilant at all times and report anything suspicious to the local authorities,” it said.

The US embassy reminded its nationals of the most recent Worldwide Caution, dated March 6, 2017, indicating threat of terrorist actions and violence against US citizens and interests abroad, including in the Philippines.

In its previous travel alert, the US embassy said it has received unsubstantiated yet credible information regarding possible kidnapping of foreigners in the Visayas, especially Cebu and Bohol.

For Western Command (Wescom) commander Lt. Gen. Raul del Rosario, it would be difficult for the Abu Sayyaf to snatch tourists in Palawan as the island province is amply protected.

He also said that while the military has not confirmed any specific threat of kidnapping or any terror activity in Palawan, it is taking the US travel advisory seriously.

With their vast network, the US will not just release without any basis, he said, referring to the US embassy advisory.

However, based on our own intelligence, we view this threat as very minimal. While there were previous threat reports, these were not confirmed following weeks of validation. We don’t see anything, Del Rosario said.

He said Wescom has been on heightened alert since the clashes in Bohol between security forces and a group of Abu Sayyaf bandits.

All the security efforts are in place and the terrorist could not just penetrate the province, Del Rosario said.

USA: American Travel Restrictions To Hurt Many Countries Including The USA

Seeking to capitalise on U.S. President Donald Trump's controversial new travel restrictions, companies and officials in Asia said they would target greater tourism and education ties with Muslims worried about the curbs.

Trump's Friday directive put a 120-day hold on allowing refugees into the country, an indefinite ban on refugees from Syria and a 90-day bar on citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

In Muslim-majority Malaysia, the group CEO of Asia's largest budget airline, AirAsia, suggested countries in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) could cash in.

"With the world now getting more isolationist it's time for ASEAN to start making it easier for tourists to come," Tony Fernandes said in a tweet on Tuesday.

Malaysia is a popular destination for tourists from the Middle East, with nearly 200,000 arriving in 2016 from countries including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Qatar.

The country is also a key destination for medical tourism and halal tourism, with food and other products largely halal-certified.

In neighbouring Thailand, tourism officials said the U.S. ban could lift visitor numbers.

"The Middle East is a big market for us, especially in the medical tourism sector. They may choose to visit Thailand more and this may also boost our sector," Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said.

Trump has presented his ban as a way to protect the United States from Islamist militants, but it has been condemned by a growing list of foreign leaders and drawn protests by tens of thousands in American cities.

With concerns about safety and security building, some Asians were reconsidering U.S. travel plans and seeking alternatives, even though their countries were not subject to the restrictions.

"When you want to travel, especially for leisure, then you want peace of mind," said Alicia Seah, director of public relations and communications at Singapore's Dynasty Travel.

"Right now people are planning for their March-April onwards travel. They will put their travel plans (to the United States) on hold at this juncture in time."

Singaporeans may either chose to travel to the United States later in the year or explore alternative locations such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada or within Asia, she said.

Trump has argued tougher vetting of immigrants is needed to protect America from attacks, but critics complain that his order unfairly singles out Muslims and defiles America's historic reputation as a welcoming place for immigrants.

Keysar Trad, president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, said Trump's travel restrictions were not only hurting innocent people but were "bringing great damage to his own economy and to the standings of Americans internationally".

"Everyone who has relatives in America, whether they are from the countries listed or not, they are petrified of what this man is going to do to America and to their relatives," Trad told Reuters.

Some education providers had seen early signs of an impact.

Rod Jones, CEO of Australian-listed education firm Navitas Ltd, said the company had seen a downturn in inquiries for their U.S.-based English language courses.

"We have started to see students back off from the U.S. because of their concerns about potential issues they may face," Jones told analysts on an earnings call.

"But they still want to go somewhere," Jones added, identifying Canada and Australia as important alternatives. "The Canadian Prime Minister has come out and said 'if the U.S. doesn't want you, we'd love to have you' and I think it is the approach of Australia too."

Aulia Adila, 24, a young professional in the media industry in Jakarta, had been considering the United States as an option for postgraduate study.

"When Trump had a chance of winning the election this made me reconsider going to the States to study. Now that he won, and with the Muslim ban and the new migrant policy, it's becoming even more impossible and unsafe to be in America," Adila said.

"I'm considering another country where I'll feel safe."

PHILIPPINES: Department of Tourism Expecting 12M Tourist Arrivals

Department of Tourism (DOT) has expanded its arrival goals for the next six years.

DOT plans to reach 12 million tourism arrivals annually by 2022, said Czarina Zara-Loyola, director of the DOT’s public affairs and advocacy office said.

Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, Loyola said, expects to exceed annual targets.

“If we exceed annual targets, and we will, better iyon,” she said.

In a statement, Teo said the government is working to increase tourist arrivals in the country through partnerships with neighboring countries, as well as airlines and other industry stakeholders.

However, Loyola assured that despite raising its target arrivals, the DOT is pushing for sustainable and responsible tourism.

“May mga area na kapag congested na, hindi na natin doon dadalhin [ang mga turista]. The goal of this administration under Secretary Wanda Teo is to develop and introduce new tourist sites,” she said.

This can be seen in the Miss Universe pageant activities, which kicked off last month with visits of titlists from 12 countries to different spots in the Philippines.

She also emphasized that they will not raise tourism targets further until there is sufficient infrastructure to accommodate arrivals.

“Hindi naman natin sabihing basta magdadala kami ng mga turista dito. Siyempre, ang tanong pa rin diyan, mayroon bang mauupuan sa eroplano? Sa lugar, mayroon bang matutuluyang mga hotel? Kapag mapo-provide natin iyan, that’s the time na increase natin ang target natin,” she said.

The DOT expects more tourists to come to the country next year due to the Miss Universe pageant, which will be staged in the country.

Teo also expects up to 3 million Chinese tourists to visit the Philippines, after the two countries signed a memorandum of agreement on tourism cooperation, which aims to give the DOT a “better opportunity” to market the Philippines to travelers from its Asian neighbor.

Several direct flights, the DOT said, were also launched this year, such as flights to Laoag from Guangzhou, and from Changi International Airport to Cebu.

They are also preparing to welcome more visitors from Cambodia, Teo said, after the Philippines signed an agreement to start a series of programs that aim to revitalize tourism between the two countries.

Other events that may draw travelers to the country include Madrid Fusion Manila, an international culinary festival; the 50th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit; and high-level conferences of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Aside from tapping partners, DOT recently approached current Miss Universe titleholder Pia Wurtzbach to be a tourism ambassador.

Earlier this month, the House Committee on Tourism approved a proposal to designate boxer-senator Manny Pacquiao as spokesperson for the DOT’s upcoming campaign to promote Philippine attractions around the world.

MALAYSIA: Boost For Malaysia Airline And For Malaysian Tourism

Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) will be introducing a big sales campaign for travel to and around the Asean region, in celebration of the New Year and in anticipation of the equalisation of the passenger service charge (PSC) from Jan 1, 2017.

In a statement yesterday, MAB said the PSC equalisation will see a reduction of some RM35 per Asean passengers at KLIA. The company said in the statement that the savings will be passed on to passengers and the impact can already be seen and it is better than expected as group bookings from the Asean region has spiked by almost 400 per cent.

This will be a great boost for the airline and for Malaysian tourism in general, it said. MAB group chief executive officer Peter Bellew said with the revised passenger service charges, the company is able to bring people together with their competitive fares.

“This means a lot to us and we could have not done it without the support of Malaysian Aviation Commission, the Minister of Transport and of course our customers. “In the spirit of the season of giving we would like to share this good news with all our loyal passengers,” he said.

During the sales period, fares offered will be as low as RM99 for domestic and Asean travels.

INDONESIA: Indonesia Grants Free Visa To CitizensFrom 169 Countries

Government of Indonesia to grant free visa to citizens from 169 countries. The measure looks for attracting international tourism to the country by simplifying travel procedures and follows research by UNWTO and WTTC that shows that visa facilitation in the ASEAN economies could create between 333,000 to 654,000 new jobs in a period of three year.

The visa-free policy is valid for a maximum stay of 30 days, has no restriction on the number of visits per year, and is non-extendable nor convertible to any other stay permit. Nationals of visa-free countries can enter Indonesia in any of the 124 immigration check points that the country possesses.

Indonesia is setting an example to the world. UNWTO welcomes the decision of the Government of Indonesia which clearly reflects the commitment of the country with the development of the tourism sector as a driver of economic growth, jobs and well-being for its people.

UNWTO has been extensively advocating for the benefits of safe, secure and seamless travel as a means to promote tourism development and multiply socio-economic benefits of the sector.

According to the UNWTO/WTTC Report Impact of Visa Facilitation in ASEAN Member States, ASEAN stands to gain 6 to 10 million additional international tourist arrivals from improved visa facilitation. The additional receipts generated by these tourists could reach between US$7 and US$12 billion.

Progress has been made at global level yet many opportunities remain for improvement, namely through maximizing the use of new technologies.

The 2015 UNWTO Visa Openness Report shows that the share of total tourists required to obtain a traditional visa prior to travelling continues to decline and is at its lowest level ever. In 2015, 39% of the world population could travel for tourism without obtaining a traditional visa prior to departure as compared to only 23% in 2008.

Above goes to show where African countries fail their own tourism industries by making impracticable demands in regard of Visa application requirements, scrapping Visa on arrival facilities and making Visa fees too high, in particular for travelers from other African countries.

10-Year PlanTo Promote Tourism In Southeast Asia

Southeast Asian tourism ministers have launched a 10-year plan to ramp up marketing of their region as a single destination to raise tourism's share of the regional economy to 15 percent by 2025.

The ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations also announced Friday that they will begin a "Visit ASEAN@50" campaign to mark the 50th anniversary of the regional group next year. The campaign will showcase hundreds of ASEAN tourism products, events and experiences and target people within and outside the region.

Tourism accounted for 12.3 percent of ASEAN's GDP in 2013 with 102.2 million tourist arrivals. ASEAN says the number of tourists rose to 105 million in 2014.

PHILIPPINES: Cebu Air To Expand Operations

While a further rise in domestic passenger numbers is expected in light of the Philippines' economic growth and population increase, international operations have wider room for growth.

Cebu Air began to serve the Middle East and major ASEAN cities several years ago to meet strong demand for homeward-bound flights among Filipinos working overseas. As a result, it now has 30 international routes, compared with 34 domestic routes.

The company is set to reinforce operations within ASEAN as the transfer of people and goods is expected to multiply in the market of 600 million people created by the establishment of the AEC. In addition to opening new routes, it will also fly more frequently on existing routes to meet an expected increase in demand.

Further deliberations on an "open sky" agreement within ASEAN are also prompting Cebu Air to expand operations in the region. The agreement, if concluded, will enable airlines to open new routes and set flight numbers as they wish.

Though a small country, the Philippines can gain wider access to the U.S., India and other countries in the world through its unification with ASEAN, a move beneficial to the country and its people, Gokongwei said.

But the Philippines lags behind other countries in the liberalization of aviation services because Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport has little room left to accept more flights due to its chronic congestion. Also, the Philippine government has been unable to ratify an agreement to connect capital cities of ASEAN member states, the most important part of the regional open-sky accord.

The airport is designed to handle 30 million passengers a year. But as the number of passengers using the airport increased to 34.1 million in 2014, congestion and flight delays constantly occur.

Congestion not only lowers the quality of services for passengers but also causes the waste of fuel as airplanes are forced into holding patterns or just sit on the runway. But the government has been slow to address the bottleneck by expanding the airport.

Cebu Air is thus considering using other airports in addition to Ninoy Aquino. Among candidate airports are Mactan-Cebu International Airport in the Central Visayas region and Clark International Airport north of Manila.

The use of alternative airports will enable tourists from abroad to fly directly to Cebu, known for its resort island appeal, without going through the congested Manila airport, Gokongwei said.

Many budget airlines, including Malaysia's AirAsia, are staging fierce competition within ASEAN. "That cannot be avoided, every other business I'm in we compete head on head with them," Gokongwei said.

Cebu Air is credited with the replacement of marine vessels with aircraft as the principal means of transportation in the Philippines. While offering no movie, meal or other entertainment services, it has lured passengers with "handmade" attractions such as music introduction quizzes with crew members singing to offer clues. It plans to promote such friendly services in a bid to differentiate itself from rivals.

Cebu Air's 60% domestic market share, larger than AirAsia's 45%, enables the company to capitalize on increasing demand in the Philippines amid its economic growth. Lexter Azurin, research head at Unicapital Securities, said, "I guess the advantage of Cebu Pacific is it already has market share, so in terms of pricing, [it] can offer more attractive pricing to its customers. Relatively, they're cheaper."

While maintaining its unique , friendly passenger services, the company needs to improve its efficiency in order to compete with rivals.

PHILIPPINES: Philippines’ Tourism Sector Bullish On 2015 Asean Integration

The Philippines’ tourism area is getting up to speed with its neighbors and is more hopeful on its prospects with the ASEAN incorporation moving into full swing by 2015, tourism authorities said on Friday.

“We are truly getting up to speed as far as institutionalization in the tourism business. We must be at standard with the abilities of our ASEAN neighbors,” said Cesar Cruz, president of the Philippine Tour Operators’ Association (Philtoa) which heads a three-day travel exchange article called the Philippine Travel Mart from Sept 5 to Sept. 7.

The Philippine Travel Mart, where explorers can discover travel and occasion bundles and aerial shuttle tickets on special, is commending its 25th celebration in the not so distant future.

The vision of the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) joining which tries to make a solitary business and generation base through the free stream of products, administrations and subsidizes by 2015 is clear amid the travel deal held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

Separated from the nation’s best and rising traveler ends of the line, a few goals in other ASEAN nations were likewise introduced to prospective explorers.

As a feature of the Philtoa’s backing for the ASEAN mix endeavors, it introduced explorers bundles it called “twinnings” where they can pick one of their most loved Philippine goals and pair this with an alternate end of the line in an alternate ASEAN nation.

“They can pick Boracay and Bali or Cebu and Singapore,” Cruz said in a meeting. This, he said, their gathering is doing in backing of the thought of the “borderless” travel.

Anyway Cruz sees a few issues once the ASEAN incorporation goes on full swing before the end of 2015.

“With our passage level abilities, the Filipinos will be falling behind our Asian neighbors since we have quite recently begun our K to 12 framework,” he said.

K to 12 project, which has added two years to the nation’s essential instruction cycle, was actualized in 2013 through a law marked by the President.

Be that as it may he said there are solutions for the tourism business. “We are starting short courses for tourism experts just to fill in the crevice,” he said.

Philtoa, an association of 352 visit administrators in the nation, additionally plans to set up a tourism institute in Makati that will offer short tourism courses.

Tourism Secretary Mon Jimenez who went to the occasion on Friday said the tourism business is getting to be more hopeful, particularly with the ASEAN mix completely acknowledged by one year from now.

“The demeanor of the Filipinos towards tourism has changed totally. There is an ability to learn and perform better than we did before and that incorporates our capability to make up for lost time,” Jimenez said.

The tourism division has started to consider the focal points of incorporating in the showcasing its neighbors in the district.

“The world doesn’t simply go in only one particular spot. The individuals go to a locale, particularly on the off chance that they have originated from a far spot. What is useful for Philippine tourism is useful for ASEAN tourism,” he said.

“We will cross over any barrier. In the event that we need to grin more extensive, we will,” Jimenez said.

Prior, Jimenez affirmed that his specialty would be propelling a battle “Visit Philippines Year 2015″ to benefit from the accomplishments of the prior “It’s more fun in the Philippines.”

The tourism division in the Philippines has turned into a genuine business, developing into a Us$4.8 billion (S$6 billion) industry starting a year ago.

INDIA: Jet Airways To Operate Flights To Vietnam Via Bangkok

Jet Airways Wednesday announced the addition of two daily flights to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region from its primary hubs in Delhi and Mumbai during its winter schedule with an all inclusive economy fare of Rs.37,506 to Rs.35,500.

“Both Vietnam and Thailand are emerging as increasingly popular destinations for tourism, trade and investment in Asia and it was only logical for Jet Airways’ to facilitate the same for the Indian traveller,” said Gaurang Shetty, senior vice president – commercial, Jet Airways.

According to the company, it will start a new daily flight between New Delhi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, via Bangkok. The airline also plans to introduce a third daily direct service from its international gateway in Mumbai to Bangkok during its winter schedule. From Mumbai, passengers of Jet Airways will get a connecting flight to Ho Chi Minh City via Bangkok.

The airline said it will deploy a Boeing 737-800 Next Generation (NG) aircraft on the route, offering premier and economy guests the best in-flight product and services along with in-flight entertainment (IFE).

Jet Airways had in October 2011 signed a comprehensive strategic co-operation agreement with Vietnam Airlines.

THAILAND: PATA Launches The Tourism InSPIRE Awards 2015

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is pleased to announce the launch of the Tourism InSPIRE Awards 2015 to recognise organisations and businesses that demonstrate excellence in social, environmental, and economic sustainability in tourism. The deadline to submit applications is October 16, 2015, and there is no entry fee to submit applications.

This new award programme, supported by EU-SWITCH-Asia RPSC (Regional Policy Support Component), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and PATA, identifies and commends excellence in sustainable tourism by granting awards to travel and tourism organisations that demonstrate outstanding practices and performance within the three pillars of sustainability. Award criteria were developed based upon sustainable consumption and production principles and existing, internationally recognised sustainable tourism standards such those developed by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), and by the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

PATA CEO Mario Hardy said, “This is an exciting joint initiative, which celebrates best practices in tourism by recognising those organisations that demonstrate leadership in sustainable tourism. It is a wonderful opportunity for the Asian tourism industry to share their stories with the rest of the community, exemplifying what can be done to make a sustainable and lasting impact in our community.”

Entries are now welcome from a broad range of travel and tourism businesses and organisations in the 19 designated countries (see list below). The awards categories cover accommodation providers, tour operators, destinations, and community-based tourism initiatives.

Winners are offered increased visibility and acknowledgement of their outstanding sustainable tourism performance. Specifically, winners will receive public recognition at the highest level in the region, and attain acknowledgement for their vision for sustainability, expertise, and innovative work. Winners in each category will be sponsored to attend the awards presentation ceremony in Legazpi, Albay, Philippines as part of the programme for the PATA New Tourism Frontiers Forum 2015 on Friday, November 27. Winners will also receive an impressive selection of other benefits including use of award winner logo, listing in the winners showcase e-booklet, and worldwide media exposure.

Note to Editors:

Organisations representing the seven (7) award categories based in the 19 countries in EU SWITCH-Asia RPSC mandate are qualified to participate. These countries are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam may apply.
Organisations do not have to be PATA members to apply.
There is no fee to apply.

About PATA
Founded in 1951, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a not-for profit association that is internationally acclaimed for acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region. The Association provides aligned advocacy, insightful research and innovative events to its member organisations, comprising 87 government, state and city tourism bodies, 25 international airlines, airports and cruise lines, 59 educational institutions, and hundreds of travel industry companies in Asia Pacific and beyond. Thousands of travel professionals belong to the 43 local PATA chapters worldwide. The chapters organise travel industry training and business development events. Their grassroots activism underpins PATA’s membership of the Global Travel Association Coalition (GTAC), which includes ACI, CLIA, IATA, ICAO, WEF, UNWTO and the WTTC. The PATAmPOWER platform delivers unrivalled data, forecasts and insights from the PATA Strategic Intelligence Centre to members’ desktops and mobile devices anywhere in the world. PATA’s Head Office has been in Bangkok since 1998. The Association also has official offices or representation in Beijing, Sydney, Dubai, and London. Visit www.PATA.org.

Media Contact:
PATA
Paul Pruangkarn
Manager – Communications
Bangkok, Thailand
Tel: +66 2 658 2000
E-mail: Communications@PATA.org