The initiative is the result of a strategic collaboration between Kuala Lumpur-based Creative Advances Technology and the Asean Tourism Association (Aseanta) and Bangkok-based Asean Competitiveness Enhancement Project.

In a joint statement, they said the new platform would allow tourism players to go online and get new business for free.

“The collaboration will boost Asean tourism business opportunities by putting operators’ travel packages on multiple travel trade and consumer online sites, including Aseanta’s the new southeastasia.org portal.

The Aseanta portal uses Standard Online Tourism Architecture (SOTA).

SOTA uses networking linkages to connect travel businesses with potential customers, both trade and consumer. To date, SOTA connects over 900 travel agents and over 15,000 travel suppliers worldwide.

Meanwhile, SOTA chief executive officer and founder, Rohizam Md Yusoff, said through this electronic tourism platform, tourism players could be linked and networked within the industry more effectively.

“The online tourism industry continues to grow quickly as travel customers look for more convenient ways to research, plan, book and purchase their travel,” he said.

Source: Bernama

Air Asia, which services the most extensive route network in South East Asia with over 70 destinations, said it was the only airline from Kuala Lumpur to start direct daily flights to Kochi.

Kochi is one of the airline’s latest Indian destinations which opened for sale recently, alongside Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum).

Since opening of these routes less than two months ago, the airline experienced an overwhelming response with nearly 100,000 seats being sold on the sector, it added.

The flight was welcomed by Consul General of Malaysia for Southern India based in Chennai, Anuar Kasman, Noor Arif Mohd. Noor, director of Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board in Chennai, Manoharan, director of Tourism Malaysia – Southern Asia accompanied by AirAsia regional head of Commercial, Kathleen Tan.

“With Kochi now added to our extensive network, AirAsia is unlocking the potential of international air travel from Kuala Lumpur to Southern India and its surrounding areas,” said Tan.

“We are thrilled to be serving Kochi direct, a huge market that no other airline is serving directly. With the commencement of this direct service to Kuala Lumpur, the people of Kerala and India can now use Kochi as a gateway to our extensive route network to Asean and beyond,”

she added.

Source: TradeArabia News Service