MALAYSIAN inbound travel consultants are gearing up to welcome a new market with AirAsia Zest’s four weekly services between Manila and Miri, commencing December 7.
The only other regional airline with direct flights to Miri, Sarawak’s second largest city, is AirAsia Singapore.
Saini Vermeulen, head of international sales, Panorama Tours Malaysia, said Miri would appeal to a very different profile of travellers from the Philippines, not “those who travel to Kuala Lumpur and visit Resorts World Genting or those who travel to Singapore and make a day or an overnight trip to Johor to experience the theme park attractions”.
He explained: “We are targeting nature lovers aged between 20 and 40. To tap this market further, we plan to do sales calls in Manila in January.”
Meanwhile, the Sarawak Tourism Board is also working with AirAsia Zest on destination marketing and will host a group of 20 travel consultants from the Philippines next month.
Miri-based Planet Borneo Tours & Travel Services will target Filipino incentives with culinary tours, while promoting soft adventure, shopping and city tours to leisure travellers. However, it will also look at attracting longhaul clients.
Executive director, James Wan, said: “There are a number of agencies in Manila who specialise in European markets. We will work with them to offer extensions to Miri. We believe ecotourism products such as diving off Miri, caving and trekking will appeal to the European market.”
According to Sarawak Tourism Board CEO, Rashid Khan, the Philippines is currently one of Sarawak’s top 10 markets, and the new flights will further boost arrivals and promote tourism.
Neverthless, Borneo Adventure senior manager of sales and operations, Emong Tinsang, expects that the Filipino market would “take time to understand Miri”.
