MAHB joins Tourism Malaysia and LADA to host Routes Asia 2024 in Langkawi

By TIN Media | Tourism Malaysia Published 1 year ago on 17 February 2023
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MALAYSIA:

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) along with Tourism Malaysia and Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) are set to host the Routes Asia 2024 in Langkawi after Malaysia won the bid to host the event in January 2020.

MAHB general manager for aviation marketing and development, Mohamed Sallauddin Mat Sah, said the event next year, which is expected to see participation from more than 1,000 delegates, would be a great platform for airports and all stakeholders in the tourism industry to intensify efforts to bring back passenger movements to pre-pandemic levels.

He said Malaysia was supposed to host the event in 2021 but it had to be rescheduled due to the Covid-19 pandemic that affected the travel and tourism industry.

"This is a crucial time for us to pitch to industry players to either start new airlines, new routes or return swiftly to Malaysia in the same number of frequency as in 2019," he said after the handover ceremony hosted by MAHB at Routes Asia CNX 2023 here today (Feb 16).

He said MAHB looked forward to extend the enriching and memorable experiences that Malaysia could provide as the host country for next year's edition of Routes Asia.

"We also humbly invite airlines to seriously consider Langkawi as the next destination either on a scheduled or charter flight basis to indulge in the various offerings that the island can provide for travellers," he said.

Routes Asia 2024 in Langkawi will be held in the first quarter of next year at Mahsuri International Exhibition Centre.

Mohamed Sallauddin said the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) had also agreed to provide significant support for the event next year.

He also said MAHB had met more than 20 airlines from the Asia-Pacific region, Europe as well as north eastern carriers during the three-day event held at Chiang Mai's International Exhibition and Convention Centre.

"We met our target to reach out to the airlines, especially airlines from China and we see new airlines have started to talk to us. Traditionally, Pulau Pinang International Airport and Kota Kinabalu International Airport used to receive many passengers from China.

"The airlines that we have met right now are the combination of new airlines and existing ones. They look promising and may commence their operations into Malaysia in six to 12 months down the road," he said, adding that the major hurdle the airlines were facing were either aircraft constraints or lack of human resources.

Overall, he said Routes Asia 2023 had been a successful story for Malaysia as MAHB managed to bring state tourism entities to the event, providing their respective offerings to airlines for greater connectivity within the region.

Mohamed Sallauddin also hoped to accelerate passenger movement this year compared to 52 million recorded last year, especially with the reopening of China's borders and commitments given by carriers to increase their flight frequency this month, which would spur greater traffic growth in coming months.

Meanwhile, The Routes director, Steven Small, hoped Langkawi would be a great opportunity for Malaysia to showcase its best offerings that the aviation community could expect in Langkawi and towards recovery in the region.

Routes Asia provides a platform for the region's airlines, airports, tourism authorities and aviation stakeholders to meet, share best practices and develop network strategies as well as ensure future air service development across the Asia Pacific.

Originally known as New Route Asia, the event was the brainchild of MAHB and was first held in Kuala Lumpur back in 2003 for three consecutive years and a decade later, MAHB co-hosted Routes Asia 2014 in Kuching together with Sarawak Tourism Board.


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