ZUJI is leveraging on the phenomenal growth of the low-cost carrier (LCC) sector in Asia-Pacific to capture a bigger share of the online travel market.
Darren Carbine, operations director, Zuji APAC, said he anticipated Zuji’s “growth (from LCC bookings) to be much in line with the overall growth trend for low-cost airlines in general”.
“Zuji actively engages with low-cost airlines across Asia-Pacific,” he said. “We are well-positioned to promote them and to leverage on their expansion plans. There is scope for huge amounts of growth.”
Carbine said LCCs operating in Asia-Pacific and subsequently, online air bookings, have great potential to grow due to the region’s geography.
“There are lots of regional airports and numerous destinations with high-density populations. There are more possibilities for the creation of inter-regional routes in Asia, compared to Europe for instance,” he explained.
According to Carbine, there is a clear shift to independent travel among Asia-Pacific consumers, and this is fuelling the growth of no-frills carriers, as well as the OTAs tied closely to them.
Zuji currently has partnerships with over 70 low-cost airlines worldwide. When probed, Carbine said there were no plans at the moment for new partnerships in Asia-Pacific, although Zuji is “never going to say never”, he added.
Carbine said the ambitious expansion plans of low-cost players in the region such as Jetstar and AirAsia had opened up numerous selling opportunities for OTAs.
“We can promote and sell hotel rooms and other ancillary products in tandem with low-cost flights. We are keen to market this aggressively,” he said.
