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Asia/Singapore Wednesday, 8th April 2026
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Page 377

Moscow targets Indian tourists with focus on leisure, MICE, weddings, and film tourism

By Rohit Kaul
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The Moscow City Tourism Committee is focusing on leisure, MICE, wedding and film tourism segments in India to spur tourism growth. The Indian outbound tourism market is now strongly recovering for Moscow with the destination recording 60,000 tourist arrivals from India in 2023 – a 25 per cent year-on-year growth over the previous year.

Evgeny Kozlov, first deputy head of the mayor’s office and the Government of Moscow, chairman of the Moscow City Tourism Committee who is at present in India as part of the delegation participating in trade event, SATTE 2024 said the electronic visa regime which was introduced by Russia for India among many other global markets on August 1, 2023 is helping the tourist numbers to grow.

Moscow hopes to attract the Indian wedding sector with its unique location offerings; Zaryadye Park in Moscow, Russia, pictured

“There are many diverse tourism experiences available in Moscow. We want to promote the use of ‘RUSSPASS’ among Indian leisure tourists who with the use of this digital platform can plan their trip in Moscow according to their interest,” said Kozlov.

Last year, Moscow hosted the Meet Global MICE Congress which recorded a strong presence from the Indian market. “We cooperate closely with the Indian MICE planners, educating them about our MICE products through fam trips. This year, we are planning a fam trip for MICE planners in India,” said Kozlov.

The Moscow City Tourism Committee is also looking to tap into the Indian weddings segment, since no Indian wedding has been hosted in Moscow.

“We understand the potential of Indian weddings and want to penetrate this market. Apart from traditional venues, as a destination, we can offer very unique locations for weddings like old beautiful metro stations, forests or (nearby the) river. We will be engaging with wedding planners in India to understand the demand and expectations of this segment and will plan our strategy accordingly,” added Kozlov.

Moscow City Tourism Committee is also engaging with Indian film production houses to promote its new shooting facility for Bollywood movies.

Moscow recorded 109,000 tourist arrivals from India in 2019.

AirAsia to become the world’s first low-cost network carrier

By TTG Asia
0

AirAsia has unveiled plans to launch the world’s first low-cost network carrier, leveraging 22 years of its multi-hub strategy through its airlines in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and soon Cambodia.

The announcement was made during a welcoming ceremony for Christian Scherer, who was recently appointed CEO of the commercial aircraft business of Airbus to AirAsia’s corporate headquarters in Malaysia.

Capital A and AirAsia welcome the new Airbus CEO

Starting with a fleet of just two aircraft in 2001, AirAsia swiftly converted to an all-Airbus fleet, which enabled over two decades of a unique multi-hub strategy through the group of airlines in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines – with the newest airline AirAsia Cambodia ready to take flight in the coming months.

AirAsia will be expanding its narrow-body fleet with the introduction of the A321XLR and exploring opportunities with the A321LR to gradually replace its A320 predecessor over the coming years from our key hubs including Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta, Manila and more. These new aircraft will enable greater flexibility on existing short to medium-haul routes and network expansion to places such as North Asia, Australia and Central Asia from South-east Asia.

AirAsia will also resume its Airbus A321neo deliveries this year in line with strong forecast demand, starting with the first post-lockdown delivery expected in June.

Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A, the umbrella company for the AirAsia aviation group of airlines, said: “Our commitment to Airbus never faltered, even through the pandemic. All of our achievements, including becoming one of the largest and most popular airlines in the world, have been possible with our great partnership with Airbus.

He shared that AirAsia has an orderbook of 647 aircraft consisting of 612 A320 Family and 35 A330 Family aircraft with another 362 A321neo, 20 A321XLR and 15 A330neo to be delivered over the next decade.

“We are also looking to expand our medium to long-haul network to the European continent, to cities like London, Paris, Amsterdam, Bratislava, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Africa (Cairo, Nairobi, Cape Town), East Coast North America (New York, Miami, Toronto) via Europe and West Coast North America (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver) via Japan,” he said.

Changi Airports International to manage Cam Ranh International Airport Terminal 2

By TTG Asia
0

Changi Airports International (CAI) and Cam Ranh International Joint Stock Company (CRTC) have signed an agreement for CAI to manage Cam Ranh International Terminal’s non-aeronautical businesses and to support the growth of Cam Ranh International Airport’s international route development.

This landmark agreement is the first to materialise under a cooperation framework between CAI and Legacy Infrastructure, and aims to bring innovative solutions to the Vietnam aviation industry, enhancing connectivity, efficiency and international competitiveness.

The agreement aims to bring innovative solutions to the Vietnam aviation industry

Cam Ranh International Airport serves Nha Trang City and the Khanh Hoa province, an important tourist destination for Vietnam. In the next five years, CAI will work with CRTC to accelerate the revenue growth of CRX’s Terminal 2, and enhance the passenger experience in the terminal. Under the agreement, the contract can be extended for another five years.

“The partnership between Changi Airports International and Cam Ranh International Terminal marks a significant milestone, offering many aspects for improving service quality, putting advanced modern technology into practice, and helping CRTC to rapidly connect with airlines and airports over the world,” said Johnathan Nguyen, chairman of CRTC.

“The successful model of management cooperation between CRTC and CAI will be the first of its kind that CAI implements in Vietnam, opening up great opportunities for both parties in the field of airport operations and realising the vision of Imex Pan Pacific Group for strategic collaborations in Vietnam and other countries.”

CAI CEO Eugene Gan commented: “Cam Ranh International Airport, which welcomed 6.5 million international visitors in 2019 before the pandemic and was the fourth busiest international airport in Vietnam, is undoubtedly one of the driving factors for the tourism development of Nha Trang. We are excited to apply the experience we have gained over the years to work with our valued partners and uplift the passenger experience at Cam Ranh International Airport, helping to further grow its potential as one of the leading airports in Vietnam.”

Batik Air, Jiangsu Topview to expand charter services in China

By TTG Asia
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Batik Air and Jiangsu TopView Cultural Tourism Industry Development Co. have signed a memorandum of understanding to expand charter flights on China routes.

The four routes include Nanning to Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai to Tawau, Chengdu to Tawau, and Shenzhen to Tawau.

The MoU will expand charter flights on the four China routes

This expansion builds upon the existing charters initiated by Jiangsu Topview, which commenced on January 23 and will continue until the end of March to accommodate the Chinese New Year and spring festival holiday season. Due to the encouraging response to the charter, Jiangsu Topview decided to venture into the expansion of the additional routes with Batik Air.

On December 1, 2023, the announcement of visa-free travel for Chinese tourists has fuelled interest in travel from China, underscoring Malaysia’s allure as a preferred tourist destination in the region.

Last year, Malaysia welcomed 1.47 million arrivals from China, an exponential growth of 593.4 per cent in comparison to the same period in 2022 with 212,603 arrivals.

Starlux places order for more A330neo widebodies

By TTG Asia
0

Starlux Airlines has placed a firm order for three more A330neo widebody aircraft.

Starlux currently operates an all-Airbus passenger fleet that includes the A350-900, A330neo and A321neo. The additional order for the A330neo will boost its A330neo fleet from four to seven, with the aircraft featuring a premium two-class cabin comprising 28 business class seats and 269 economy class seats.

Starlux Airlines places order for more A330neo to strengthen its fleet

Starlux CEO Glenn Chai commented: “The three new A330neos will strengthen our fleet advantage and provide greater flexibility for passenger operations.”

Roam with the dinosaurs at Guixi Ecological Park in China

By TTG Asia
0

Science Centre Singapore’s beloved DinoQuest exhibition is now showcasing at the Guixi Ecological Park in Chengdu, China.

The 1,000m² interactive exhibit creates an entertaining yet educational STEM+ experiences for all ages, where guests travel millions of years back to the Cretaceous period to encounter the Australian polar dinosaurs on this immersive adventure, which spans across seven thematic zones.

Science Centre Singapore’s DinoQuest is now on exhibition at Chengdu’s Guixi Ecological Park in China

Highlights include holographic guides, animatronics and 4D elements, 4D theatre experience, fossil dig site, a replica display of dinosaur skeletons, and more. Guests can even doodle their own dinosaur and have it come to life at the virtual animated Dinosaur Park.

For more information, visit DinoQuest.

Korean Air names new VP and chief communications officer

By TTG Asia
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Jongheon Sim (Jong) has been appointed as vice president and chief communications officer of Korean Air.

He has a 27-year history with the airline – from operations to communications and external relations – and led the airline’s social media and digital communications team prior to this new position.

Stephen Chung helms as Hahnair’s regional VP for Asia-Pacific

By TTG Asia
0

Hahnair has named Stephen Chung as regional vice president APAC where he will support the partner airlines using Hahnair’s distribution solutions throughout all stages of the partnership.

Based in Hong Kong, Chung will also advise existing and potential partner airlines on interline opportunities within Hahnair’s extensive network of more than 350 partner airlines and support the acquisition of new partner airlines.

Before joining Hahnair, he was commercial manager at the Cathay Pacific Group.

Thailand bets big on Indian, Chinese markets to meet arrivals target

By Rohit Kaul
0

As Thailand looks to welcome 35 million international tourist arrivals in 2024, the two Asian giants China and India are expected to play a critical role in meeting the target. Initial signs seem promising, with Chinese travellers already surpassing the one million mark between January 1 and February 19.

“It is for the first time after the pandemic that we have welcomed more than one million Chinese travellers within the first two months of a year. Factors like Chinese New Year, visa exemption, joint promotions with travel agents, and MoUs with OTAs are resulting in (strong) demand from China’s outbound market. We expect China to be our number one source market in 2024 with eight million tourist arrivals,” Thapanee Kiatphaibool, governor, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) told TTG Asia on the sidelines of a press conference in New Delhi on February 21.

Thapanee: TAT is evaluating if we could also extend a visa-free facility permanently to Indian travellers

A visa-free travel scheme for Chinese tourists entering Thailand was launched in September 2023, and has now become a permanent arrangement.

Last year, China occupied the second spot among top five tourism markets for Thailand with 3.5 million travellers.

India, with 1.6 million tourist arrivals, occupied the fourth position, while the US was Thailand’s leading source market with 4.6 million tourist arrivals.

India is priority too, and the TAT is aiming for two million arrivals in 2024.

Thapanee elaborated: “India is a high quality and high spending market for us, and that’s the reason we introduced a visa exemption for Indian travellers last year. We are at present evaluating if we could also extend a visa-free facility permanently to Indian travellers.”

Indian travellers can now avail visa-free travel to Thailand from November 10 to May 10 with a stay of up to 30 days.

In order to spur demand from India, TAT is planning to focus on new segments like senior citizens and women travellers, and to promote rejuvenating tours and adventure sports to Indian travellers.

There are intentions to also highlight new products and destinations, such as the UNESCO sites in Nakhon Ratchasima; Thann Wellness in Ayutthaya; Mon Bridge and Pilok Village in Kanchanaburi; local vineyards; and Khao Yai National Park.

Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol, minister of tourism and sports, Thailand told the media that work is going on to further improve direct connectivity between the two countries. Starting April 2, Thai Airways is launching a new route in India – Bangkok-Kochi with three flights per week.

Malaysia woos European market with Muslim-friendly offerings

By TTG Asia
0

The Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) is on a special Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality (MFTH) sales mission to Paris, France and London, the UK from February 18 to 25 to explore opportunities for Malaysian tourism industry players in the growing European Muslim tourist market.

The MFTH mission, which is set to tap into the estimated 25.7 million European Muslim population, will see ITC engaging with local travel agents and the Muslim community associations to share the best of Muslim-friendly Malaysia offerings, including MFTH Assurance and Recognition-approved services that also cover accommodation and tourist guides.

Malaysia will participate in the Muslim Travel Show in London after the sales mission; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, pictured

Malaysia will also participate in the Muslim Travel Show in London at the end of the mission. All 40,000 expected visitors of the exhibition will have the chance to be acquainted with Malaysia’s varied attractions and services from ITC, Tourism Malaysia, and other partners like Andalusia Travel and Tours, Kurma Getaways Travel Experience, and Nasyrul Quran.

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Sister Publications
TTG Asia TTGmice TTG India TTGssociations TTG Asia Luxury
TTG Asia | Thailand pivots to regional tourism hub
TTG Asia | Frasers Hospitality expands Asia footprint
TTG Asia | BBTF 2026 to focus on gastronomy and destination readiness