John Simeone has been named Jetstar Asia’s new chief executive officer. He will take over from Barathan Pasupathi, who has held the role for nearly 12 years, from March 1.
Simeone is currently senior vice president (Asia) at Qantas and has over 30 years of global experience in the aviation industry with a career that spans key airline commercial and operational functions including network planning, revenue management and sales.
AirAsia has appointed Chester Voo as deputy group chief executive officer (airline operations) and Farouk Kamal as deputy group chief executive officer (corporate).
Voo will focus on optimising and enhancing efficiencies across core airline functions, as well as identifying and mitigating potential risks to improve the airline’s overall performance. Having been with the airline for over 11 years, he also previously served in leadership positions including as chief executive officer of the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia.
Kamal will be responsible for corporate functions, which encompass finance, corporate finance, aircraft leasing, legal, investor relations and strategy. He will also provide oversight on internal audit and risk management. He joins the airline from Urusharta Jamaah, a Government Linked Investment Company, where he served as chief executive officer and chief investment officer.
An escalating diplomatic row between India and the Maldives has triggered worries among Indian travel agents about likely cancellations and weakened demand for the leisure destination.
The gloomy sentiments came after a few Maldivian deputy ministers ridiculed Indian prime minister Narendra Modi who took to social media platform X to share his visit to India’s Lakshadweep Island. While Modi made no comparison between Lakshadweep Island and the Maldives, his post attracted comments from social media users in India who said the Indian destination would make a better one than the Maldives.
Retaliating against the Maldivian deputy ministers, India celebrities and netizens have called for a travel boycott of the Maldives. The hashtag #BoycottMaldives is now trending on X in India.
One of India’s leading OTAs, EaseMyTrip on Monday said it has decided to suspend all Maldives flight bookings following the derogatory remarks, company’s CEO Nishant Pitti shared on X.
“The comments made on the Indian prime minister have not gone down well with both the industry and consumers. The Maldives has been an extremely popular destination for the Indian outbound tourism market. However, clients who were planning to visit the country are now asking us to suggest alternates. We have also seen a few cancellations,” shared Varun Gupta, partner, Travelz Factory in India. He urged the Maldives government to exercise damage control soon, otherwise Indian arrivals would dip this year.
Industry veteran Guldeep Sahni, managing director of India-based Weldon Tours & Travels, said that while no upcoming trips to the Maldives has been cancelled, he noted that a client who had booked the sunny destination earlier on had expressed concern that Indian travellers may face backlash in the Maldives.
India is the Maldives’ biggest source market, contributing 206,026 Indian arrivals last year. India is followed by Russia, China, the UK, and Germany as the main source markets.
The three ministers in question – Mariyam Shiuna, Malsha Shareef and Mahzoom Majid – have since been suspended, reported BBC News.
In a statement issued on January 7, the Maldives government said: “The Government of Maldives is aware of derogatory remarks on social media platforms against foreign leaders and high-ranking individuals. These opinions are personal and do not represent the views of the Government of Maldives.”
It also stated that “the freedom of expression should be exercised in a democratic and responsible manner, and in ways that do not spread hatred, negativity, and hinder close relationships between the Maldives and international partners”.
The Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators (MATATO), the premier tourism industry body, emphasised the importance of fostering positive ties with countries including its South Asian neighbours.
“Lakshadweep Islands tourism sector has no discernible negative impact on the Maldives tourism industry. (Lakshadweep Islands are) complementary to Maldives tourism. The synergies between the two destinations can enhance the overall appeal for travellers and encourage more cruise liners to explore this vibrant and culturally rich region,” MATATO said.
For now, Lakshadweep Islands are seeing an overwhelming interest among Indians.
Daniel D’Souza, president & country head – Holidays, SOTC Travel, said online searches for Lakshadweep cruise sailings have gone up by almost 200 per cent.
“We anticipate this surge in interest and demand will encourage authorities to strengthen Lakshadweep’s infrastructure and establish direct connectivity to boost tourism,” he added. – Additional reporting by Feizal Samath
HBO’s Emmy-winning anthology series, The White Lotus, will begin filming for season 3 in Bangkok, Phuket, and Koh Samui next month.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has partnered with HBO for the filming and promotion of the series in Thailand, which will star two Thai actors, Dom Hetrakul and Tayme Thapthimthong, alongside others.
Thapanee Kiatphaibool, TAT governor, said: “We are honoured to have amazing Thailand featured as the filming location for the highly anticipated upcoming season of The White Lotus. The Kingdom’s exotic natural beauty, rich historical sites and diverse landscapes are the perfect settings to share our fascinating culture, fantastic cuisine, top-notch wellness and luxury offerings, and most importantly our people and Thai hospitality. Thailand has long been considered one of the world’s favourite filming locations.”
Janet Graham Borba, executive vice president of production for HBO & Max, said the series will “showcase all that the beautiful country of Thailand has to offer”.
The third season of The White Lotus is slated to premiere on HBO in 2025. Season 1 and 2 were set in Hawaii and Sicily respectively.
AirAsia X (AAX) announced recently that it had entered into a non-binding letter of acceptance with Capital A for the proposed acquisitions of its aviation businesses, namely AirAsia Berhad and AirAsia Aviation Group Limited.
The strategic move positions AAX to become the overarching regional aviation provider for all short and medium-haul routes under the AirAsia brand name. This groundbreaking acquisition is expected to provide unparalleled advantages, including a strengthened market position, increased operational efficiency, and ultimately driving cost savings and enhanced financial performance.
The decision to combine the airline businesses through these acquisitions leverages AAX’s robust recovery trajectory after its upliftment from the Practice Note 17 (PN17) status in November 2023.
AirAsia X chairman Fam Lee Ee said: “These strategic acquisitions serve as pivotal milestones in AAX’s post-PN17 revival strategy, bolstering our financial stability and enhancing our market positioning. The consolidation under the AirAsia brand as a one-listed entity reflects our commitment to capitalise on our regained strength and market confidence to deliver a unified and unparalleled travel experience for our guests and significant value for our shareholders.
“Leveraging the strengths of all airlines under the AirAsia brand, we are poised to create a pure-play entity that propels us forward. The synergy created through these strategic acquisitions represents more than just a financial consolidation; it symbolises our role as a trailblazer in shaping the future of the aviation industry. The future holds immense potential, and we are excited to embark on this transformative journey.”
The detailed announcement on the Proposed Acquisitions, including their effects on various financial metrics is expected to be announced in due course, subject to the definitive share sale and purchase agreement and its completion.
As AirAsia prepares to embark on its next phase of growth and expand into Central Asia, Europe, Africa and into more secondary cities in Asia-Pacific, the airline has announced two key leadership appointments: Chester Voo as deputy group CEO (airline operations) and Farouk Kamal as deputy group CEO (corporate). Both executives will play pivotal roles in shaping the future of the airline group.
Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific will reduce its scheduled flights by an average of 12 flights a day between now and the end of February to ease operational pains during the Chinese New Year peak travel season.
The announcement came on January 7, with the airline saying it would focus on “routes with multiple daily frequencies, where possible”.
According to news reports, flights to destinations like Taipei, Kaohsiung, Singapore, Shanghai and Dubai have been affected since Sunday.
The airline also cancelled 40 flights during the Christmas holidays and 28 flights on New Year’s Day due to staff shortages.
The Anam Cam Ranh has unveiled a programme for children to learn about sustainable farming on its onsite farm, and get a chance to interact with the friendly animals residing there.
The resort’s 8,500m² farm cultivates an array of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and eggs for meals served to guests at the Lang Viet Restaurant & Bar as well as at the staff kitchen.
The farm harvest a wide variety of vegetables, fruits and even herbs. For livestock, there are ducks, chickens, geese, rabbits, goats, guinea fowls, turkeys and peacocks and their offspring.
Participants will learn tips about how to grow their own chemical-free herbs, veggies and fruits at home, and how to look after chickens and ducks, and their eggs.
For more information, visit The Anam Cam Ranh.
Tourism is growing in Sri Lanka, after multiple crises in the past five years, and well on target to achieve the ambitious 2.3 million arrivals scheduled for this year, officials said.
“In fact, we are hoping to exceed the 2024 target with an increase in flights and new airlines coming in,” state-run Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) chairman Priantha Fernando told TTG Asia.
The country fell short of the 2023 target of 1.5 million with arrivals at 1,487,303 in 2023, sharply up by 106.6 per cent from 719,978 in 2022. Arrivals last month were 210,352, up from 91,961 in December 2022. This is still lower than 253,169 arrivals in December 2018, the highest month for arrivals recorded so far. Arrivals in 2018 at 2.3 million was the highest on record, thereafter the numbers fell due to Easter Sunday bombing attacks on three hotels in 2019, followed by the closure of the airport owing to the Covid-19 pandemic followed by an acute economic crisis in 2022.
Fernando said they should have exceeded the 2023 target if not for problems associated with two markets – Russia and Israel. “We were expecting two weekly flights from Israel from October which didn’t happen owing to the war, while another 2,000 arrivals from Russia was lost in December due to the dispute over a registration problem by budget carrier I-Fly, a Russian charter operator.”
The top source markets last year were India, the Russian Federation, the UK, Germany, China, Australia, France, Canada, the US and the Maldives. Foreign exchange earnings from tourism in 2023 were expected to exceed US$2 billion, up from US$1.13 billion in the previous year. Fernando said limited seat capacities of key markets also resulted in the 2023 target being missed. The number of airlines flying into Sri Lanka in 2018 was 52, which has dropped to 38 today, but more airlines were expected to resume flights this year.
He said under a new programme launched in China, arrivals from there to Sri Lanka are planned to reach one million by 2025. “If we can hit 400,000-500,000 from China this year, we would well be on the way to achieve another good year,” he said. Arrivals from China, which have slowed down in the post-lockdown period, reached 68,789 in 2023. 2018 was the best year for Chinese tourists with 265,965 visiting Sri Lanka.
He said national carrier SriLankan Airlines, which accounted for 38 per cent of passenger capacity, should go up 45 to 50 per cent in the coming months with the induction of more planes.
The tourism landscape in the Philippines is poised for a prospective uptick in the year ahead with the anticipated series of extended weekends throughout 2024.
The Department of Tourism (DoT) is optimistic that these elongated breaks serve as a potential catalyst for a substantial boost to the country’s domestic tourism sector.
“Amid the remarkable resurgence of our country’s tourism industry, characterised by 5.45 million international visitor arrivals in 2023, there’s an overwhelming sense of enthusiasm among travellers eager to make up for lost time, engaging in what has come to be known as ‘revenge travel’,” said tourism secretary Christina Garcia Frasco.
“We see these upcoming extended weekends as a timely opportunity, specifically advantageous in propelling our domestic tourism forward. (The) tourism sector remains a cornerstone in propelling our country’s economic resurgence by providing opportunities for livelihood and employment,” she added.
Based on insights from 2022, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) noted a staggering 102 million domestic trips, contributing 1.5 trillion pesos (US$27.04 billion) to domestic tourism expenditure. Among the overall 1.87 trillion pesos in internal tourism expenditure, inclusive of spending by foreign visitors and Filipinos residing abroad, a substantial 1.5 trillion pesos was directly attributed to domestic tourism spending.
Frasco remarked: “The DoT’s optimism for a tourism resurgence fuelled by these extended weekends is underpinned by an unwavering belief in the Filipino spirit and the country’s inexhaustible selection of enchanting destinations. The invitation extended to all Filipinos is not merely to travel but to immerse themselves in the rich mosaic of experiences that the Philippines proudly offers.”
Flight operations have returned to normal on January 8 at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, six days after a collision between a Japan Airlines passenger jet and a smaller Japan Coast Guard aircraft.
Runway C, site of the crash, has been closed since then, forcing the airport to cancel hundreds of mostly domestic flights.
Japan Airlines expects losses of about 15 billion yen (US$105 million) as a result of the accident, which could impact its earnings forecast for the financial year ending March 31.
