KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Elevating tourism within the region was the center of interest during the 57th ASEAN Day celebration here where dignitaries and an ASEAN airline firm committed to contribute to the cause.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia Mohamad Haji Alamin underscored the crucial role of tourism in the foundation of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) community, stressing that "tourism promotes people-to-people linkages."
"Tourism promotes people-to-people linkages. This, in turn, helps to deepen awareness and greater understanding amongst the peoples of ASEAN, which is important to cement a firm foundation for an ASEAN Community that embraces its diversity and is stronger and more resilient because of it," Alamin said in his speech during the celebration of 57th ASEAN Day at the AirAsia headquarters on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024.
"In ASEAN, we also promote interaction between our peoples through various areas including in culture, youth, education, and sports. As a reflection to this, today we will be celebrating our region's cultural diversity through colorful performances and cuisines," he added.
In his speech, the deputy foreign minister cited that "accessible and affordable regional travels also promote tourism."
He lauded AirAsia, who hosted the event in their headquarters, for its role in "enhancing connectivity by making traveling within the region more accessible and affordable."
"This facilitates business travels and contributes to our efforts to enhance regional economic integration and intra-ASEAN trade," the Malaysian official said.
"In this regard, I congratulate AirAsia Move and ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) on the signing of the Letter of Cooperation on ASEAN Explorer Pass to boost the tourism industry within our region," he added.
Over 3,000 regional flights weekly
AirAsia Malaysia Managing Director Fareh Mazputra disclosed that they intend to elevate ASEAN tourism with over 3,200 flights within the region weekly.
"As a group, we will operate a total of 3,281 flights weekly across the 10 ASEAN countries, aiming to elevate tourism and economic growth in the region. Specifically, for AirAsia Malaysia, we will operate 45 per cent of the total flights weekly to ASEAN countries with 78 routes until the end of 2024," Mazputra said in his remark during the same event.
He further bared that the ASEAN airline will resume its route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Da Lat, Vietnam, with four weekly flights starting Nov. 1 of this year.
"These route launches are part of our broader strategy to reinforce our network and provide more affordable travel options within ASEAN. The increased frequencies and resumed routes are expected to significantly boost tourism by offering more travel options and flexibility," Mazputra said.
"This, in turn, will lead to higher tourist arrivals, increased spending in local businesses, and the creation of jobs in the tourism sector," he added.
The airline official also committed to bring the world to the ASEAN region, and vice versa through their accessible and affordable flights.
"As an airline that truly believes in bringing the world to ASEAN and ASEAN to the world, we will continue to strengthen our presence in this dynamic region, which is home to over 700 million people. We look forward to leveraging our extensive network, increased frequencies and robust operational capabilities to strengthen integration and foster greater cooperation among member states, contributing to a more interconnected region," Mazputra said.
He further stated that the expanding operational footprint with AirAsia's major hubs in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Cambodia "reflects our belief in the power and potential of ASEAN unity and strength as an economic bloc."
"We take great pride in championing the ASEAN Economic Community's vision of creating a single market and production base. This will help reduce our costs by having common standards: one air-traffic-control system, one engineering system, an open skies policy, and common ownership," he added.
More aircrafts operating in PH
Deputy chief executive officer Chester Voo, of the AirAsia Aviation Group Limited, disclosed that part of their goal to elevate tourism within the region is adding three more aircrafts to its fleet in the Philippines.
"Philippines right now operates 16 aircrafts. By December, Philippines AirAsia will be operating 19 aircrafts. So there will be an increase of three aircraft in the next five months, which is a remarkable increase actually, if you talk about just Philippines AirAsia," Voo told reporters in a separate interview on Thursday here.
He cited "good capacity growth" as among the drivers behind the expansion.
"The Philippines' load factor is 95 percent. So it makes sense, it makes sense. So talking about our presence in the Philippines, with the load factor of 95 percent, it makes perfect sense to add more capacity because there is more room to grow," Voo added.
The celebration of the 57th ASEAN Day dubbed "Connected & Resilient Community" was held at AirAsia RedQ in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Malaysia (MOFA).
It focuses on historical milestones and future aspirations such as sustainable development, digital transformation, and resilient economies. ASEAN Day symbolizes the collective commitment to a cohesive and prosperous region, reinforcing the bonds that unite Southeast Asia in a dynamic and evolving global landscape.